Lost Her Marbles and Other Oneshots
by darkmousey
Summary: Newest oneshot: 19. Planned Parenthood: Leaving memories, and life after death.
1. Lost Her Marbles

Lost Her Marbles

Summary: Kagome loses her marbles, and enlists the help of a reluctant Hiei to find them.

Note: This was my entry for The Deadliest Sin's Best Scenario Contest. If you're a fan of the Hiei/Kagome pairing, I encourage you to go check out the group: http: // . com/ index. cgi . The group has regular fanart/fanfiction contests, fanfic prompts, and is currently running a "Craftiest Fan" contest.

Rating: PG

Column A: Lost

Column B: Moonlit night

**

**

The only reason he'd even agreed to guard the miko was because it happened to be the lesser of two evils at the time. When Koenma had called them in, without there having been spikes of youkai energy in the area lately (and he would know—Hiei had been looking for trouble for weeks) curiosity had gotten to him. Koenma needed the team for two separate duties. The mission for one volunteer of the four was simple: shadow a miko, recently sensed by the Reikai scanners, who was known to be guarding an important artifact. What artifact, none of them could begin to guess, but judging by the way the brat kept eyeballing him and Kurama, it was obviously something he didn't want any demon getting their hands on. After hearing the option of guarding this miko, but not the second option, he delved into Koenma's mind only to find that Reikai was slated to undergo some serious remodeling and thus needed some muscle.

He quickly stepped forward to cover the miko-guarding. In Hiei's mind, "guarding" implied that there was something to guard the woman from—the "something" being dangerous; an S-class youkai would be too much to hope for to go after a miko whose power was so low to not be sensed by Reikai until now, but a hoard of low-class, mindless youkai would do just as well. A bloodthirsty smirk of anticipation had been permanent for the first few days of his duties, especially when he imagined the others being forced to move boxes around Reikai.

However, as he soon found out, what Koenma had failed to mention was that the girl needed more guarding from her own temper and clumsiness than killers—youkai or human. Heck, she hadn't even been the victim of random violence, or pickpockets! He was beginning to think he would be forced to drag her into Makai just to get some action.

Tonight, his so-called guard duty had reached an all-time low. After following her from her workplace—some hospital downtown—to her house, she'd run out of her house and off the shrine grounds in a hurry, heading towards a thickly wooded area.

She was searching for something at night, in the woods, while mumbling to herself. Something about dogs, and trees, and marbles.

Great.

**

**

Kagome let out yet another noise through gritted, grinding teeth as she tripped over the third tree root she'd encountered in the dark forest in the two minutes following the expiration of her flashlight batteries and the minute she spent jiggling and hitting the flashlight in the hopes that the abuse would prolong the battery life. She cursed her luck. It was a full moon tonight, so given her practice in the feudal era, she would have had no problem navigating the area. _Except the darn dog had to run through the only park in Tokyo with trees big enough to block out the natural light! Stupid dogs, always having to make things more difficult…_

She knew her chances of finding that small bag at night, without even natural light, was next to nil, and it would be wiser to come back the next day, but if it fell into the wrong hands, the entire city (and if her luck turned for the worse, Japan, or the world) would be in grave danger. This thought—the thought of a second Naraku—pushed her onward.

The bag itself was normal enough—a small, worn, green canvas bag with a drawstring—but she had designed the seal on the bag so that it—and the Shikon jewel inside it—was practically invisible to most senses. She had applauded herself on the design three years ago. Without a proper instructor in this era, she had drawn from the lessons receieved from Kaede and Miroku on wards. Unfortunately, on the issue of how to make it so that she could sense the jewel but not youkai, she had drawn a blank and, having no youkai that she could trust without a doubt to help test any theories on hand, she had chosen to make it so all would be spiritually blind to the bag holding the Shikon. It turned out that an interesting side effect of this seal was that it was made somehow partially invisible to the eye—unless a person knew what they were looking for, they tended not to notice the bag. Touching it would give no indication that the bag was special, or that it held an object of immense power. To any but her, it just looked like a bag of marbles. Hidden in plain sight. Only if the Shikon fell from the bag could it be sensed. Not that that was likely. She carried the bag around with her, making sure it was always on her person or in the same building as her—after all, it would be quite a hassle to carry around a bag of marbles in an emergency room.

And so far, these protections had held—for three years now. Three glorious years of peace, of not having to wonder how many youkai would attack her the next day, or how difficult their guts would be to wash off, though she did continue to be vigilant. Then today she had discovered that her protections weren't fool-proof. Or rather, they weren't Souta-proof.

She didn't notice the bag of marbles was missing until, exhausted after her double-shift, she trudged to the small locker where she kept her belongings and noticed it wasn't there. In fact, she didn't remember bringing it with her to the hospital. She rushed home, not even bothering to change out of her scrubs—thank goodness they weren't covered in vomit or blood today—and practically ransacked her room before her brother found her and explained that he had borrowed the marbles for the kids at the shelter he volunteered at on the weekends.

"But on the way back, I was tossing the bag from hand to hand and this dog—must have been a stray, I didn't see a collar—just jumped up, caught the bag, and ran away. But I gathered up the ones that fell out." His rambling finally ended as he deposited a few brightly colored marbles on her desk, confirming what she knew. The only one she cared about wasn't there.

"Where was the mutt headed?" she asked, barely containing her anger. He told her before making a quick departure.

And that was how she ended up here, most likely lost, in the middle of what may as well have been a forest, with a dead flashlight.

_I sure wish Inuyasha were here right now. He could sniff out that bag a mile away._

But there was no Inuyasha to help her on this side of the well. The final battle was…Well, there was nothing she could say that would recount it accurately. Flashes of images still haunted her, and there were no words to put to them. But the emotions…

Sadness and anger and relief and despair and helplessness and triumph and disbelief…

They had survived. Her group of friends, the seekers of the Shikon, had succeeded, had lived past the battle. She was fairly sure of that. She didn't recall any of her friends having any major injuries. But in a flurry of activity following the battle, after the cursed jewel had been completed, when she knew her task had been fulfilled, she had simply vanished from the past, reappearing at her family's shrine. The well didn't work anymore. She'd tried it enough to be absolutely certain of that fact.

With the prospect of a normal life ahead of her for the first time in years, she reviewed her options before falling into nursing. She had spent enough time fixing holes in Inuyasha and more normal injuries in the others, combining feudal and modern methods, that she knew she enjoyed healing people. But without the grades and money to be a doctor she had decided to be a nurse, and now worked at the busy emergency room and operating rooms of Tokyo General, where she was looking forward to a promotion to head nurse in the next couple years, once the ageless Chizue retired. The small increase in her salary would be a relief—her grandfather was getting on in years and the double shifts she'd been working lately to help pay for increasing medical bills were exhausting her to the point where she was having to draw a bit off her miko ki, dropping her barriers for brief periods of time. But it was better than having Mama working extra to support all of them, especially with Souta now in college.

She loved her job, and her coworkers, many of whom she was great friends with, but so many times at night, on the border of sleep, she would think of the past and just wish…

Miroku and Sango were human, so she would never see them again, but she imagined them happy and long-lived with many children. She knew Inuyasha would have survived long past the battle. He was nothing if not stubborn, and there had been no Kikyou around at the time of the final battle to drag him to hell. But whether Inuyasha still lived in this time, half a millennium since she first met him…She knew nothing of hanyou life spans. In fact, the only others she could recall meeting were Jinenji, the gentle gardener, and Shiori, the shy bat hanyou. She got the impression that even hanyou that made it through their first few years didn't live much longer without luck, or love.

Shippou and Kirara…She'd been hoping that Shippou would contact her. Heck, she would be happy seeing Sesshoumaru at this point. But there was nothing. So far.

"Kagome, you need to snap out of this!" She patted her cheeks to shake her out of her moping mood. "I'll just take a minute to relax, think this through." And so she felt around for a spot without a century's worth of tree roots sticking out of the ground.

She sorted through her options: she could keep going as she was—and probably be here all night; she could come back in the morning—but risk the Shikon falling into the wrong hands. Or she could seek the help of the youkai that had been following her for the past month. _And is probably laughing his head off above me._

She of course chose Plan C.

"Hey, you! In the tree! Get down here!"

A full minute of nagging later, a very disgruntled youkai (who was dangerously attractive in those black pants and muscle shirt—and how did he get his hair to do that?) jumped out of the tree. Or rather, just _appeared_ below the tree.

_Wow, he's fast._

"What, miko?"

_And will probably be difficult._

"Hello, my name is Kagome Higurashi." She bowed.

"Hn."

"It's customary to introduce yourself when someone gives you your name." There was no answer. Feeling vindictive, she continued. "Very well, then I will assign you a name. Fluffy-sama is already taken, but there's so many more to choose from," she said in the sweetest voice possible. "How about—"

"Hiei."

**

**

Hiei couldn't believe it. First the girl had spotted him, forced his name out of him, and now she expected him to help her.

"I've lost my marbles!"

Though he had little experience dealing with females, Hiei had observed enough socially inept men in situations like this that he knew better than to reply with "_Darn right you have,"_ and so settled for, "Hn."

Which didn't appear to be a whole lot better.

"'Hn'? That's all you have to say—'Hn'?" Hiei didn't like how her arms were waving about, or the miko ki that had begun to glow around her hands, but was confident that he was fast enough to dodge if necessary—and knew that was a definite possibility after watching her for several weeks. He realized she wasn't finished yet. "That's even worse than 'feh' or 'keh' or whatever Inuyasha used to say. At least with him I could tell his mood, or get a general translation. But 'hn'? What's that even mean? It's like the ultimate noncommittal—"

"Miko." She stopped, surprised out of her rant. "What do you want?"

She ignored the fact that he refused her name; there were more important things to take care of. "I already told you!" she exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I lost my marbles! Well," she continued, calming slightly and sounding a bit guilty and panicked at the same time, "technically, it's only one marble—the most important one! The others don't really matter…Though I do think I'll miss the one with the blue flower in the middle…" she trailed off.

Hiei kept a straight face, doing an admirable job of keeping his left eye from twitching, a nervous tick—or rather, a "frustration tick"—that he'd not been able to cure himself of, for all the decades he had tried. The mind behind the poker face was trying to figure out how to get himself off guard duty without being put on the spring cleaning crew. A good threat might do the trick. Although, when he thought about it, even remodeling had to be better than dealing with some unstable, emotional human with an unnatural attachment to some stupid bauble.

**

**

Noticing that the Hiei was no longer paying attention, Kagome realized that she should probably calm down, explain things in a logical manner, and hope that he was a good youkai since his aura of frustration was so strong, it was difficult to sense anything else. But he hadn't tried to kill her at all in the month she'd been sensing him shadowing her, so she decided to remain positive.

And if he didn't agree at first, she would just have to bribe him.

She tried her best to look as calm as possible and be as vague as possible. After all, she may be asking him for help, but she knew better than to trust a youkai she had just met, despite all evidence to the contrary. "Please, this…marble…is something that a lot of, um…people…have tried to steal in the past and might try to use for evil purposes!" He raised an eyebrow. Sounding calm still made her seem crazy. _Great, Kagome, what evil can a marble be used for? Bruising? Breaking mirrors? _"They'll sell it for thousands on the black market to marble enthusiasts!"

Kagome froze in disbelief. _I can't believe I just said that!_

Apparently, he couldn't either. His eyes narrowed just a fraction—and did his left eye just twitch?—before he turned stiffly and began to walk away, the tails of the white cloth around his forehead fluttering in the wind behind him.

"Wait!" she called, and in desperation, she offered him the one thing she hadn't known any youkai (those she was on friendly terms with) to resist: "I'll cook for you! Whatever you want—but not humans! For…for an entire week!"

She smiled in relief when he stopped. He was considering her deal! Or whether her life was worth his frustration. She really hoped it was the former.

He turned to face her and glared at her, menacingly. She planted her feet and stood tall, trying to exude confidence she didn't have.

"One month."

"Excuse me?"

"Miko, if I help you find this marble, you will cook for me, for one month, whatever I choose."

"Within reason," she insisted. "I'm not cooking any humans or slimy swamp creatures you kill."

The following "Hn" sounded like a mix between disgust and agreement. She was glad they were on the same page.

"Deal!" Then she rushed up to him and offered her arm, though not in the position of a handshake. She put her forearm right in front of his face and looked up at him expectantly.

He glared at her again, but she was starting to get used to it. She was, after all, used to dealing with stoic, homicidal youkai. She smiled in return. _His face is gonna get stuck that way if he doesn't stop._

"Remove your appendage from my face or I will do it for you."

_That _certainly got an immediate response. She put both her hands behind her back. "But you need to get my scent to sniff out the bag!"

Kagome didn't think it was possible, but somehow the glare intensified.

"I am no dog, miko."

**

**

In the end, Hiei was forced to use his nose to find the bag, though he would die before ever admitting it.

The Jagan, even uncovered, could not sense the residual aura of the miko that should be on the bag, frustrating him to no end. And the miko's reaction to his third eye was not expected. Or wanted.

The Jagan was _not _"cute".

All this frustration for a bag of marbles—scratch that: a bag with a single marble. Though on second thought, now that he'd gotten a closer look, there was something about it...

A seal.

**

**

Kagome watched anxiously as Hiei bent down to retrieve the green bag from the abandoned rabbit hole. "I'll take that," she said, holding her hand out to accept the enchanted pouch.

Hiei's eyes traveled from the bag, to her hand, to the bag again.

Then the bag burst into flames for a brief second before he tipped his hand over hers, transferring the ashes, but keeping the jewel. All she could do was stare, openmouthed.

And prepare.

**

**

So this was what the miko had been guarding. What Koenma didn't want him and Kurama to have. Even after so many years, the Shikon no Tama was coveted among youkai, though many now assumed it was a myth. Yet here it was, lying innocently on his hand.

The jewel was small—the size of a marble, as she had claimed it to be—and translucent pink; though it did look a smidgen darker than when he'd first taken it from the bag, but since the color didn't change any further, he took it as a trick of the light. But there was something else about the jewel…a feeling of power, capable of luring youkai to seek it out, who would use it as a crutch to their miniscule strength and to further their ambitions. He could tell the miko was nervous to see him with it, though her anger was also on the menu.

"What'd you do that for? Give it to me. We had a deal."

"Hn."

She tried a different tactic; he could feel her miko-ki beginning to build. A barrier formed around her, fitting her form and nearly transparent, a slight glow the only visible trace. More ki gathered as she readied to attack. She was much more powerful than he had thought. _Shielding. Unknowingly avoiding detection by Reikai. Hn. _Mikos like this just weren't born any more. "I swore to protect the Shikon with my life, Hiei, and if you don't hand it over right now, I _will _purify you. I won't let any others be harmed by that marble."

She sounded pained, but determined. Funny, he'd never met a miko who didn't hate youkai. From what he'd seen thus far, she had likely placed the wards to avoid all detection so she wouldn't have to fight. But where she saw danger and destruction, he saw opportunity. A seemingly powerless woman, in possession of a powerful jewel that could attract youkai, perhaps even past the barrier. How perfect! As her ki continued to build, he reached into his pocket where he kept a drawstring pouch, connected to a long cord. It had once held Yukina's hiroseki stone, but since he found her, it had lost its value to him, though he continued to keep it safe in his treasure hoard in Makai. He didn't know why he still kept the bag. Habit, he supposed. At least now he had a use for it.

**

**

Without any production, he put the jewel inside the bag, drew the string tight and knotted it, then threw it to her. Amazingly, she caught it before it hit her in the forehead. She stared down at the little pouch in amazement and when she looked up, he was less than a foot away.

She blushed. With his aura feeling so…victorious?...she wasn't so distracted or tense by his negativity and was left feeling like a teenager looking at the fine specimen in front of her; specifically, his chest. She looked up, hoping his ever-present glare would bring her out of her age regression, but it wasn't there and she was left thinking how he would look bathed in moonlight.

_I'd already know if we were anywhere else._

"You will no longer ward the jewel, miko."

_Whoa. _That brought her out of her thoughts. "Tough luck, mister. I may be a lot stronger than I used to be, but I have a job, a family, friends, and there's no way in hell I'm gonna endanger any of them by walking around with a powerful jewel that might as well be a neon sign saying 'Come get me, youkai' just because you say so! Five years was way too long the first time around, and that was with help."

"You will cease, and I will kill all who seek the jewel." Kagome couldn't help but notice he sounded strangely happy as he said this. "If you continue to ward the jewel, I will use…extreme measures."

She had no desire to find out how he defined 'extreme measures'. "So…Is that some weird, roundabout way of saying you'll protect me?"

"Hn."

And without another word, he left, and Kagome didn't attempt to stop him. She knew she'd see him soon. Filled with curiosity over the new youkai in her life, the next evening couldn't come soon enough for Kagome. She placed the long cord connected to the small leather pouch around her neck and began to stumble towards what she hoped was the border of the woods.

_Maybe losing my marbles wasn't such a bad thing after all…_


	2. She Comes in Peace

*Note for Lost Her Marbles: this "story" is now going to be a series of (mostly) unconnected oneshots with the Hiei/Kagome pairing, which I'm writing as I take breaks from working on my SessKag piece. However, the chapters that have food in their titles will be connected to the first story in this series, Lost Her Marbles.

* * *

Written for The Deadliest Sin's October 1st prompt: "Trick or treat".

She Comes in Peace

It was getting darker by the minute, but decreasing light only increased the excitement in the city as everyone prepared for a night of horror…and candy. For Kagome Higurashi, it was her first Halloween in three years, as she could never justify to Inuyasha why she wanted to return home for this particular day—and she was going all out, inspired by a picture she'd seen in a newspaper—or rather, tabloid—a couple weeks ago on the subway.

It was a simple costume: a black cloak over black pants and a scarf which she had bound around her breasts like a halter top. Her boots had heels, but only two inches—high enough to set off her assets, but low enough she could run if necessary. If nothing else, traveling in the feudal era had taught her the importance of practical footwear. A small bokken was strapped to her hip. Lesson number two: never go anywhere without some kind of protection; even a pencil could do in a pinch.

To top it all off, she had painstakingly painted on her forehead a third, crimson eye, which her brother had said looked very realistic, and put white streaks through her hair. Looking in the mirror, and the newspaper clip she'd taped to the edge, she nodded in approval. She looked like the sexy female version of that three-eyed alien.

_Just in time, too,_ she thought, sensing the rest of her party approaching the house.

This year, rather than go trick-or-treating with her friends from junior high—her sweet tooth had withered away long ago—she'd opted to hang out with her cousin and his friends and go see a horror movie marathon that was playing at an old theater tonight.

She quickly walked downstairs and opened the door before they even had time to knock. "Hey, Yusuke! Long time, no see!"

But all she got was a look of shock, before he burst out, "Holy shit! It's like a female Hiei!"

At his exclamation, the rest of the group crowded around her, murmuring over her costume, apparently in agreement with Yusuke's assessment.

"Wait—just who is this Hiei?" Was the alien actually real? Or did someone else have the same idea as her?

And that's when he appeared right in front of her. He looked just like the little picture in the tabloid, except less cute and more…_hot._

And, decidedly, not an alien. Yusuke had told her that he had a few youkai friends—heck, she knew he had a bit of youkai in him as well—but this was just too big a coincidence. _Oh well, when did tabloids ever get anything right. Of course it wasn't an alien, it was a youkai. Alien abductions just don't happen. Youkai abductions do._

This youkai—Hiei—was studying her head to toe, and toe to head, with what she hoped was an approving manner. Finally, he spoke. "The Jagan's color is incorrect."

"Oh really?" she asked, reacting to his playful jab. "Maybe we should spend some time together, so I can…study you?"

That smirk was more than she could have hoped for. "It'll be my treat."

* * *

AN: So I wrote this in less than 30 minutes, and didn't really edit, so it's not my best work, but I think it's a cute idea. Maybe I'll go back and add more/edit some other time.

I hope you all enjoyed it!


	3. Exponential

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor YuYu Hakusho. They belong to their respective owners. This disclaimer applies to the previous two chapters and however many chapters follow this.

Spoiler warnings: I wrote this because I was inspired by the end of the YYH anime, so if you don't know who Enki is, or what Genkai asked of the group in the last episode, this story may have minor spoilers for you.

Summary: Two years ago, Kagome returned from the past, never to leave the modern world again. Five months ago, Genkai died, leaving her land to the detectives. Seven minutes ago, Hiei returned from Makai.

**

**

Exponential

The first time he saw her, it was shortly after his three-year patrol duty in the Makai, protecting the humans who had inadvertently crossed into Makai from the demons who lived there. He'd grown tired of it all, and so had left. There were no hard feelings between him and Mukuro—theirs had been a relationship of convenience and friendship, loathe though he was to use the word. And so with no ties to the demon world, and with an open invitation from Mukuro, he decided to check out the human world for a time.

The landscape around Genkai's temple, extending for miles upon miles from mountain range to beach, felt somehow changed since the last time he'd been there. Had it been in the normal ways that land changes, he would have lacked the surprise he felt now: after four years, of course things didn't remain static.

Yet the feel of the land, its essence had become somehow greater than it had been. The land had become purer, despite the increase in youkai auras he felt in the area, no doubt a result of the removal of the barrier. That intense purity just didn't make sense. In places such as this, where humanity had yet to penetrate with its spew of modernity, the land had a tendency to reflect its isolated caretaker—in this case, Genkai.

And that was how he knew something was wrong. Perhaps not dangerous, but different. He wondered what happened to the old woman to cause the change.

He sped through the land and up the temple steps, coming to a stop in the main complex of the temple. There was nothing in sight. But there, behind the house, was the sound of sweeping. Bounding to the roof, he spied her: a young woman dressed in sweatpants and a fitted tank top, her long black hair tied away from her face.

She was a miko, despite her state of dress. It explained the new feel of the land, but not why there were still youkai in the forest. No miko he'd ever encountered ever hesitated in trying to kill him; of course, he didn't hesitate either. He smirked. Those were the good old days…or just the simpler days.

The miko paused in her sweeping, turning to wave at him, a happy expression on her face. "Hello, there! You're much stronger than most who come by here, I almost couldn't feel your presence. How can I help you?"

In a generous mood, he hopped down and began to approach her to continue the conversation, or start a fight, when her brows creased in confusion—and he could've sworn he heard the word "alien" flit across her mind before her face brightened. "You must be Yukina's brother! I knew I recognized you! I'm sorry; she's out shopping right now. Why don't I make us some tea—" As she turned to leave, he roughly grabbed her arm and drew his sword to her neck, but she gave no indication of the pain she must be feeling from his grip or panic at the thought of being in mortal danger.

"You will do no such thing, onna."

Once again, confusion marred her face. "But she's been waiting for you for so long."

"Where is Genkai?"

Continuing to wear her emotions on her sleeve, she now broadcast sadness. "Oh, I'm sorry, you must not have heard. Genkai passed on, just a few months ago. She left the land and the shrine to Urameshi-san and his friends, but they're allowing me to stay as caretaker."

So she truly was the reason the feel of the land had changed so drastically. As the rightful caretaker, the land changed in accordance to her aura. He wondered if she knew about the abundant demon presence in the area, but since they didn't appear to be hostile, he didn't see why it should be his business to warn her. The miko could just take care of herself.

"I see. Do not tell Yukina I was here." And with that, he was gone.

**

The second time he saw her, he came better prepared, having grilled his former teammates on the strange woman.

Kagome Higurashi. Age 24. Miko. Time traveler. Illegitimate granddaughter of Genkai.

His former teammates' opinions on her were varied.

"That's one scary woman. Like Keiko, but with way more power to back up her threats."

"No one could be more capable than Kagome of fulfilling Genkai's last request."

"She's really nice, and a healer too—just like my Yukina!"

But despite all the knowledge he gathered on her, she still managed to surprise him…by being decidedly un-miko-like.

This time, she was sitting on the porch, with a tiny furry bundle on her lap—which felt distinctly like kitsune—and a bowl of warm, blood tinted water and a towel on one side, and bandages on the other. Getting closer, he saw that she was finishing tying off the bandage on the kitsune's leg.

"There you are, Akihiro-kun," she said brightly, lightly tapping the kitsune on the nose. "Now, do you remember what I said?"

The kit looked at her sullenly. "No experimenting with high-level techniques without supervision until father says it's okay."

"And if you don't?"

"You'll tell mama and papa and won't let me have any sweets for a fortnight."

"Good boy. Now, I've healed you enough that your parents shouldn't think too much about your wound. This'll be our little secret, unless I catch you doing it again." The kit nodded. "Now, run along. Your mom is probably preparing dinner as we speak." The kit perked up at the mention of food and scrambled away.

Kagome began to clean up her supplies, taking the bowl of water to the edge of the grounds to pour onto the soil. "What do you think of my nephew, Hiei?"

"It is foolish of him to try to befriend a miko," he said without hesitation, "and it is foolish for you to assign such familiar ties to a youkai."

"Oh, but Hiei," she challenged, "I am no ordinary miko, and he is not the one who befriended me."

A raised brow was her only answer.

"I'm sure you already know this, but up until a few years ago, I was able to travel through time, to Japan's sengoku jidai. There, among others, I met a young kitsune—Shippou—who came to be like a little brother to me. After the barrier separated the humans and youkai, he found a mate on his side of the barrier and they raised many children, as did their children, and so on. The barrier has come down, but Shippou and his mate are happy still in Makai, though he does visit me often, and some of his descendents have decided to come to Ningenkai. Akihiro-kun's family decided to live on the land that Genkai left behind."

"So you do know of the youkai infestation."

"I wouldn't call it that, Hiei." She smiled slyly. "After all, I'm the one who invited them all here."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, all who desire to be here are welcome, so long as they have no harmful intentions. It was Genkai's last wish, after all, for us to bridge the gap between the races. I could do no less." Her eyes gained a faraway look. "After all, it wasn't so bad, you know. Before the barrier."

Before she could say anything more, there was someone else on the grounds, coming towards the house. By the way the miko became alert, he knew she could feel her too. Yukina.

Her eyes became apologetic. "I'm sorry about last time, Hiei. Yuusuke told me about the situation with your sister, and I understand. Though, I do think it would be better for you to tell her, now that the restrictions are lifted. It would make her so happy to know her brother."

"I need no advice from you, onna."

"Kagome!" Yukina's soft voice sounded from the house, "I'm home."

"Welcome back!" Kagome called. "We're out back!"

"We?" The door slid open. "Oh, Hiei! Welcome back! Would you like some tea?"

In truth, he would have liked to sit down and spend time in Yukina's company, but he knew any conversation would lead to talking about her brother—and he wasn't sure just what to do about that yet. Three years to think about it, and he still hadn't made a decision.

"I will be using the dojo," he said and turned and left without another word to either of them.

**

The fourth time he saw her, she was dripping wet, with both gore and water. Her towel, thick but short, clung to her body and left her long legs exposed. She was beautiful.

He hadn't seen her for quite a while—five weeks in fact. He no longer had a steady source of (forced) employment, but his reputation was enough to gain him short-term as a freelance whatever-the-hell-was-needed, be it thief, hunter, or assassin. Usually it was Enki or Mukuro who hired him, but Koenma had expressed his partiality to Hiei's stealth and secrecy.

He arrived just in time to see her grab a stick from the forest floor, charge it with her miko energy and thrust it brutishly into the leg of the oni, taking only seconds to purify.

And it took only seconds for her to realize that she was covered in filth from the fight, which if he were to guess, had apparently interrupted her time at one of the small hot springs on Genkai's land.

"Eww, gross! I can't believe I have to deal with this again! It was bad enough just poking around the youkai once Inuyasha had finished them off, now it's all over me," she said to herself, pulling some larger pieces from her hair in disgust. "I guess it's back to the hot spring for me—No, the waterfall first; the running water will do better than the spring to get most of it out. Hiei," she said, acknowledging him for the first time that night, "would you mind keeping watch for me?"

"Hn."

He didn't see her again that night, despite the temptation, but he made sure neither did any other youkai.

**

The eighth time he saw her, she was glowing. Literally.

It was the first time all of the former spirit detectives and the rest of their circle had the same day off from their busy schedules, and so they had decided on a large get-together at Genkai's beach. The girls decided to come early, to help Kagome and Yukina prepare and pack enough food for twenty, and the men arrived just in time to carry it all to the shore.

It was interesting watching her with the men. The women were inane as usual, normal female behavior and not much to think about.

But with the men, specifically the youkai of the group—including Jin, Touya, Chu, and Rinku in addition to Yusuke and Kurama—she was strangely…comfortable. He couldn't think of another word for it; the interactions were just so different than when she was with normal humans, as if miko and youkai weren't natural enemies but rather made to complement each other.

_Ridiculous._

And now here she was, in a splashing game with the other women, Jin and Rinku, and she was _glowing._ Not just from the setting sun's rays on her skin: it was her aura, her miko energy that was making her glow, as if she was a battery overflowing with energy. But it didn't harm any youkai who came near her; rather, a contagious cheerfulness exuded from her.

If anyone else saw it, they didn't mention it. And for some reason, Hiei preferred it that way. He liked knowing something about the miko no one else did.

And he liked seeing her glow.

**

The sixteenth time he saw her, he was in pain—everywhere except where she placed her glowing hands. And, for once, he was looking up at her; this time, from a bed. He had no idea how bad his injuries were, but as soon as he could wield his blade, he would go after every single youkai who had ganged up on him while he was unaware, too deep in his training and nearly exhausted by the length of it to notice the badly-hidden auras of the low-level youkai amongst the higher-level—definitely not S or A class, but B class or upper C definitely. And though his strength was great, obviously under the right circumstances, with enough of them, he sustained injuries.

Not everyone approved of Enki's new law: no deadly mischief in Ningenkai. And those that enforced his laws could occasionally find themselves taking the brunt of the dissention. No one had the balls to stand against the king of Makai. At least, no one strong enough to matter.

The miko had by now somehow completely healed his major injuries—which, going by intensity of pain, were deep gashes in his left leg and across his torso (or maybe that was a hole, since his back hurt as well in that area)—and was now moving on to smaller injuries. He never would have believed a miko's energy capable of doing anything but purifying youkai had she not explained it to him not too long ago.

"_A miko receives her power from nature. True, I can use it to purify youkai out of existence, but I can also use it to protect, and to heal. And youkai are just as much a part of nature as humans are, if not moreso, so why shouldn't it be possible to use my power for good, on both sides?" At this, she had looked at him patiently, almost like a teacher to a student, but in a manner that was in no way condescending. Such a short time around her and already she understood how to deal with him. Either she was very perceptive, or he was going soft. He disliked both answers._

He was brought out of his reverie by the sharp smell of herbs and a grinding noise. She was mixing a poultice, one he recognized—yet another thing he would have been surprised about had he not known of her travels to the past, the time before human knowledge and youkai knowledge split away from one another.

There was a wonderful cooling sensation over his skin as she applied the poultice to the last of his abrasions. It reminded him of the sensation her healing energy left, but to a lesser degree.

"Hiei," she addressed him solemnly, still applying the poultice, "This'll take a little over an hour to dry. Wait half an hour for it to take full effect. After that, you can brush it off or wash it off." A pause. A deep breath. "Those youkai had no honor. Should you wish to…correct their behavior, you should be strong enough to face twice their number by the time the poultice is finished."

He didn't miss the hint: the miko would approve of their deaths. Or rather, she wouldn't disapprove. While in the past he would have assumed this to be true of any miko, he knew she was different. She didn't say this because she hated youkai—after all, she had befriended most who lived on the lands Genkai left, and claimed a familial tie to the clan of kitsune on the mountains—but rather out of practicality: these youkai were against any peace between youkai and humans, and it would be only a matter of time before they attacked defenseless people—human or youkai. It was a calculating aspect to her personality that he knew she didn't learn in this world's school system.

She stepped outside the room to leave him in peace and get some rest herself; the moon was high in the sky. But before sliding the door closed, she murmured, "But don't take too long. I'm in a cooking mood, and I have a feeling I'll make just too much for Yukina and I to eat alone."

Then the door _snicked_ closed and he was left alone to contemplate the upcoming deaths of those youkai, and the strange nature of that miko. _Kagome_.

**

The thirty-second time he saw her, it was late at night—or early morning— and he had come running to her room at the sound of her terrified shriek. What youkai could have gotten past him? What youkai on this land would want to harm her?

But when he got to her room, there was no one there; just the miko, sobbing into her hands, until she registered he was there. "Hiei? Please, don't leave me."

And in that moment, she looked so vulnerable, so deeply affected by the nightmare—the memory—that the only thing he could do was go to her, and allow her to hold him and cry until, hours later, she fell asleep in exhaustion.

**

The sixty-fourth time he saw her, she was dressed in full miko regalia, her concentration focused on her bokken and the kata she was practicing. It was his understanding that she had received some basic training in swordsmanship while she was in the feudal era, but compared to her archery, it lacked grace and the instinctual defense and attack movements when faced with an opponent close-range. With this in mind, he had offered a few days ago to teach her, and she had joyously accepted.

He was content with having a reason to see her more often, to be near her.

And then she tripped. And he caught her. And she kissed him on the cheek as a thank-you.

And he kissed her back. On the mouth. Deeply.

Now he had one more excuse to be near her.

**

The one hundred and twenty-eighth time he saw her was when he woke up beside her, the sun just beginning to rise. The expression on her sleeping face was peaceful and happy. He decided it would be okay to skip his morning training just this once, and held her closer.

**

The two hundred and fifty-sixth time he saw her, she was walking across the shrine grounds, through an isle between two small groups of people, in her snow-white shiromuku. Walking to him.

They had known each other for a relatively small amount of time, but never was he so sure of anything in his life. In fact, the only reason they had waited this long was because her grandfather and mother—though honestly, it was mostly her grandfather—had insisted on a traditional Shinto ceremony, on the most auspicious date possible. Thankfully, Kagome had negotiated the old man down to the most auspicious day within the two months following Hiei's proposal, rather than the seven the old man preferred.

Following that was a flurry of wedding preparations which Hiei avoided, or kidnapped Kagome from when possible. Really, the mating ceremony of youkai was much simpler than the frivolous planning of the human ceremony, but it was what Kagome wanted. And then tonight, with a much smaller crowd—only two witnesses were required for the initial marking, and none to complete it—would be their mating ceremony.

Their eyes met at the same time as she reached the front. Her eyes bespoke her deep love for him, and he wondered if she could see the same in his, though he knew she knew he loved her, through his actions.

Maybe tonight he would even say the words.

**

The five hundred and twelfth time he saw her, she was in his arms. She had only the day before been released from the hospital, and they were watching the sunrise with their newborn son, Kosuke. She was glowing.

He nuzzled her and she leaned into his shoulder, increasing contact.

His words were quiet, practically a whisper. "I love you Kagome."

Indeed, his love for her, from that first moment of curiosity, had grown exponentially over time.

**

AN: Awww! I just couldn't resist that bit of cheese at the end. What'd you guys think? Like it? Not so much? I'd love to know!


	4. The Blanket Scenario

**The Blanket Scenario**

_[n.] A story in which two people use a single blanket to keep warm._

Their picnic was ruined. That was the dominant thought in Kagome's mind as she sat quietly in the dark cave, well out of the way of the cold rain, huddled in the one blanket she had brought with her to the beach.

She had thought out her plan perfectly. A romantic midnight picnic on the beach with her boyfriend. Better yet, a romantic midnight picnic on the beach with her boyfriend on a night that the weather man had said a cold front would be coming through; so she would wear something light, and when she got cold he would cuddle with her…and maybe something more. Damn it, she wanted more! Six months and he was still going so slow, as if she would break, and all she could think about was adding a bit more intimacy into the relationship! Really, with all the hints she'd been leaving lately, she thought a smart youkai like Hiei would understand.

…So she would wear something light, and they would cuddle, and look up at the stars, and listen to the sounds of the ocean.

And if they made out or got into some heavy petting, it would be a plus.

Too bad she missed the part of the weather report that said the cold front would be caused by a torrential downpour.

So now here she was, in a cave just off the beach, huddled in the blanket, with nothing on but her bra and panties, which she had only left on for modesty's sake, even though they, like the rest of her clothes, were soaked.

Hiei was gone, looking for dry wood, if there was any to be found, though that wasn't the first plan.

Kagome had blushed at the mere thought of suggesting out loud that they strip down and cuddle for warmth. She didn't want to face any rejection or hesitation from Hiei.

Plan B folded when Hiei revealed that although he could create fire, maintaining the flame for any prolonged period of time was extremely draining. He'd always trained to kill or damage in a burst of flame, not maintain steady warmth for someone he cared for.

And thus Plan C formed: Hiei left the shelter in an attempt to find dry wood, while Kagome huddled in the blanket to stay warm.

She felt a rush of relief when he returned just a short while later with a huge armful of wood. Soon they would have a fire and she would be _dry_.

So she was completely surprised when she felt a gust of cool air and she realized that Hiei had whisked the blanket right off of her.

"Wha--! Hiei! Why…?"

And then he set the blanket on fire and threw it on the wood. "They're still a bit damp. I had to dry them off somehow." She heard a distinct tone of amusement in his voice, though it was serious as usual.

"But…"

"Besides," he said, turning to her with a sly, lascivious look, slowly undoing his cloak, "I can think of much better ways to keep warm. And judging by all your…actions this month…" he said, his shirt off and hands trailing down to his belts, "…so can you."

Though the wood was now catching fire from the blanket, and the cave was starting to warm up, she knew the warmth she felt now was not from the fire.

As he approached her in the warm glow of the fire's light, a thought flickered in the back of her mind: _I guess my plan worked after all._

**

**

AN: I'm leaving this open-ended because in this case, I think it's more fun for each reader to decide what they want to happen, and it just felt right to end it there. It's like a mental choose-your-own-adventure story.

This is my last update for this series for a while (I'll probably start updating again Dec/Jan). As many of you know, I'm writing this series of oneshots to take a break on my SessKag piece, the Right Hand of Fate, which I want to finish before posting any more chapters, and that's one of the things I'm devoting the next couple months to, other than classes and applications.

That being said, I plan on continuing a little with the first oneshot in this series, Lost Her Marbles. Anything with food in the title in this series is a continuation of that oneshot. I'm also willing to take suggestions. If anyone has a theme/quote/scenario/etc that you would like to see, send it in a review or PM and if I have a good idea for it, I'll write it. Though I'm not saying that I'll do it right away or in any particular order; inspiration comes at weird times. I also have a couple prompts from The Deadliest Sin that I plan on doing sometime in the future.

Sorry for the long note! As always, I hope you enjoyed this, and please let me know what you think!


	5. December Drabbles

**December Drabbles**

AN: A little late for Christmas, but just in time for New Year's! Here's my response to the five December prompts on The Deadliest Sin forum. I saw numbers and couldn't resist playing a little game, purely for my own enjoyment (although some may notice that two prompts are switched around). These are not chronological, in the same universe as each other, etc. They're just the first thing that popped into my head after reading each prompt. Enjoy!

* * *

**Ribbon** (100 words)

The female obsession with ribbon this time of year mystified Hiei. He'd never been the type of demon who would consider something as frivolous as ribbon to be a worthy subject of his thoughts. But when he stepped into the bedroom and looked upon his mate, he was speechless. His first logical thought was, "That's a big ribbon." There wasn't any logical thinking after that.

He did what any hot-blooded demon would do upon finding his mate clothed in nothing but a huge ribbon wrapped around her, tied off in a perfect bow at her breasts: he unwrapped his present.

* * *

**Icicles** (200 words)

"Thank you so much for tonight, Hiei," Kagome said as she smiled, leaning closer to him. "I'll never forget it."

He let loose his signature smirk before he closed the gap and kissed her, letting loose his youki, sending a relaxing wave of heat through her body, and relaxing her further against him. She stopped the kiss, smiling against his lips.

"But no matter what you do, or however much I wish this night would never end, I have my last final tomorrow, and I'd really like to graduate."

He let loose a sigh of frustration. "Fine, onna. But tomorrow…"

"Yes," she smiled, giving him one last peck, "Tomorrow."

Then she turned, walking into one of the support poles on the house's porch, prompting one of the many icicles to fall directly onto her head. "Ow! Ugh, I'll just sleep it off." She missed Hiei's angry look.

When she woke up the next morning, her mother was sitting in the kitchen, a bemused expression on her face.

"Mama?"

"The roof."

Kagome walked outside, turning around after a short distance, and couldn't help but smile. All of the icicles were gone, sliced off cleanly, as if by a blade.

"Thanks, Hiei."

* * *

**Naughty & Nice** (300 words)

"Come on, Hiei. Please?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's stupid."

"No, it's Christmassy."

"Hn. If that's your argument, then I'll use it as well."

"But red is so much better. And it matches your eyes."

"White is just fine with me."

Kagome let out a sigh of frustration, holding the length of red cloth tightly in her fist. She took a couple deep breaths, trying to return to her calm center. Sometimes being Hiei's mate was just too exasperating. The least he could do for a Christmas party was change the bandana covering his jagan to a more festive color! Especially since she'd already given up changing the rest of his monochrome attire. "Fine, then. We'll negotiate. If you agree to wear this, we can leave early, and do whatever you want," she whispered with a placating smile and suggestive tone.

"Hn," he smirked, "I'm not falling for that again, mate. We will spend no longer than two hours at this party."

"Deal."

He took the red bandana.

**

When the door opened, they were met with Yusuke's cheerful face. "Hey, whaddaya know," he said, looking at their attire. "It's a regular naughty and nice." This comment brought a round of agreement and laughs from everyone else. Hiei tuned it out, much like he did the next hour and fifty-eight minutes, watching Kagome around the males, taunting him with each sway of her hips, making him wish he insisted on a longer skirt for her. When the time was up, he promptly picked her up and raced back to their apartment.

"You know, Hiei," she said, slowly undoing her dress. "Yusuke wasn't completely wrong this evening." The dress dropped, revealing the sexy lingerie that was hidden under the innocent dress. "But you are much too straightforward to be the naughty one."

* * *

**Snowball Fight** (400 words)

If there was ever a time Kagome was quite happy to be one of the girls, sitting quietly and drinking her tea while the men went off and…fought, it was now.

"Oh, my," Yukina gasped beside her, "They're so intense!"

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet," Shizuru said before turning back to the action. "Come on, Kazuma! Are you gonna let that shrimp beat you like that in front of your girlfriend?! You just have to get him once, then Yukina's yours! Be a man!"

Kagome shook her head as she thought of how this all started. Just a few months ago, under her urging—after all, she wanted her babies and their aunt to know each other as true family—Hiei had revealed his identity as Yukina's brother to his sister. However, almost immediately, he began to use his authority to remove Kuwabara from Yukina's presence, despite both halves of the couple protesting adamantly, and their friends'—paritcularly Kagome's—best efforts.

So finally, a playful snowball fight had become a war when Kuwabara had accused Hiei of being a coward for not participating, saying he was scared of a little snow hitting him. Hiei responded with a challenge that if anyone was able to hit him with a snowball, he would allow Kuwabara to continue with his suit.

"And that was two hours ago."

Hiei could easily generate enough heat to immediately vaporize the snowballs before impact.

"Huh? What was that, Kagome?" Shizuru asked, now that there was another lull in the fight.

"Oh, nothing, just thinking out loud. Yukina, why don't we go inside and fix something up? I bet the boys are getting hungry." Yukina agreed, helping the very pregnant Kagome up and grabbing the empty teacups. Just a short while later, they returned with a plate stacked with onigiri.

"Come on, boys," she said sternly, making her way towards her mate, "You guys take a break now. There'll be plenty of time to continue your battle."

Hiei met her halfway, obviously upset that she would "strain" herself, but knowing better than to say anything right now. And while he was distracted feeling for their active children, she took the snowball she made and hid with her ki in the front of the shrine and hit him squarely over the head with it.

_Slam dunk_.

He glared.

"What? You spend way too much time on their relationship."

* * *

**Stockings** (500 words)

'_The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Hoteiosho soon would be there.'_

"Onna, stop humming that stupid tune."

She slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Really, Hiei," she laughed, "Stop being such a Scrooge."

He glared back at her, clearly expressing his opinion.

"Okay," she said with a roll of her eyes, "Why are you so against me getting into the Christmas spirit?"

"There is no logical reason behind your celebration of a Christian holiday." He continued smugly, "And it shouldn't even be celebrated in December. Humans are so foolish."

Before he could continue, Kagome rushed in front of the youkai and hugged him. "Oh, Hiei, it's times like this that I know you really care about me!"

"Wha--?"

She loosened her grip to give him a peck on the cheek. "You did your research! Or rather, you put aside your pride and asked Kurama."

Not wanting to admit that she was right—that finding out what this "Christmas" thing was to her was worth the humiliation of going to the kitsune—Hiei put his hands in his pockets, turned his head aside and let out a simple, "Whatever."

Kagome just smiled and continued walking. "It may not be a Shinto holiday, but it is a time when friends and family are brought together. And it's a great excuse to have a party." She paused, smirking, before adding on more thoughtfully, "Besides, it's less a question of religious identity and more an allowance due to grandpa's…eccentricity."

By this time, they had reached the shrine grounds and he could clearly see the strange old man sweeping the grounds white in an equally ridiculous pointed red hat decorated with some white fluff ball and antlers.

"In any case, Hiei, you are gonna come here tomorrow morning, right?" She said, drawing his attention to her. "Please?"

"Fine."

**

She hadn't said _when _he wanted him to arrive at her house that morning, but Hiei had decided the earlier the better. He really had no desire to celebrate "Christmas cheer" with her entire family. It was early, the sun just now rising, so he was surprised when, arriving through her window, she wasn't in her bed. He quickly found her energy signal downstairs, where she was fast asleep, a needle and thread and some cloth…thing in her hand.

As exhausted as she felt to him, he knew he wouldn't be able to wake her up, so he slowly extracted the thing from her grip. He was surprised to see it was something in the shape of one of the socks—no, the stockings—that hung by their fireplace. But this one, rather than the holiday emblems on those of her family, was a black dragon and fire, and across the top was his name.

As he was looking at the stocking, feeling the inner warmth only his Kagome could bring him, Kagome, sensing him close to her, opened her eyes and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Hiei."

"Hn. Merry Christmas."


	6. One Wish

One Wish

AN: Inspired by the Deadliest Sin's January 2010 prompts and madmiko's suggestion for a longer piece about "Snowball Fight" in the December drabbles chapter. These are chronological, just broken up for time skips by the prompts.

1. if I could have one wish

There were many nights when Kagome didn't see Hiei. Sometimes patrols of the unseparated human and youkai worlds would keep him from her for weeks at a time. But she didn't mind too much. Hiei thought it dishonorable to make a living by hocking his hidden hoard for money, and she really preferred a man—a youkai—who did an honest day's work. Besides, patrollers were paid well and between both their jobs and the treasures from Hiei's past, they had a nice bit of money set aside for their future family.

But tonight was for just them: he had arrived home only a few hours ago, and she had found out only yesterday that she was pregnant. And so there they were, sitting on the roof, her leaning against him as her mate stroked her belly which, in just a few short weeks, would be very noticeable.

She remembered many wonderful nights just like this in the feudal era, with Inuyasha. Not that they were ever as close as she and Hiei were at that moment. But there were many nights when they would get away from the rest of the group, find a nice clearing and lay there, side by side, looking up at the night sky, so much clearer than in the modern era. She remembered looking for shooting stars so she could wish for Inuyasha to love her.

"What are you sighing about, mate?"

"Nothing, really," she replied, threading her fingers through his. "Shooting stars."

"Hn. You know very well," he said, the hot breath against her ear sending wonderful shivers down her spine, "that any wish you have, I will grant. The star is unnecessary."

She smiled. What did she do to deserve him? "I know." And they were silent for a while before she turned in his arms to look him straight in the eyes. "Anything?" He held her gaze and that was confirmation enough.

"Hiei, if I could have one wish, it would be that you tell Yukina the truth. I want her to be part of our new family, not just someone close but still looking in. She deserves to know, to be a real aunt."

The wheels were turning in his mind, she could tell. He had kept this secret from Yukina for so long, not wanting the sweet apparition to know that her brother had grown into a murderer and a thief. But Kagome knew that he was so much more than that; that he had developed into a man who she was proud of and loved, and knew her children would take pride in calling him "daddy."

It was a difficult decision, and so she let him think. But in the end, she took his kiss as assent.

2. the first step

She had given him the push, but it was up to him to make the first step. How many years had it been that he had debated this very issue with himself? He had decided she would be safer and happier not knowing who he really was. And yet, Hiei smirked ruefully to himself, his mate makes a simple request, and he could not deny her.

It was Tuesday, and slightly overcast, and he wasn't in the best of moods, but he knew from spying on his former teammates that telling Yukina today would give him the most privacy at Genkai's shrine. Of course, he hadn't counted on the dimwit's classes being cancelled. Apparently, the death of some old professor was a good enough reason for the college to cease teaching for a day for mourning. What foolishness.

He would gladly have taken to his normal spot, ideal for protecting Yukina, and let Kagome chat with her, pretend it was a normal visit, except for the fact that his mate was pushing him forward, a death grip on his hand, toward his sister.

And so, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible, he simply looked at Yukina and bluntly said, "I'm your brother," while at the same time trying to avoid The Look Kagome was dealing to him. The raised eyebrow he saw from his peripheral vision was enough. The _pit-pat_ of Hiroseki stones on the floor brought Hiei back to himself just before Yukina launched herself toward him in a hug.

Eyes open wide in shock—an emotion he couldn't remember ever feeling—he turned to his mate, who simply shrugged and smiled. Then he saw the foolish human who thought to court Yukina, his face an expression of horror.

His face relaxing into an evil smirk, Hiei embraced his sister.

3. no holding back

Hiei made sure that both Kagome and Yukina were distracted with each other before leveling a white-hot glare at the tall oaf. Now that, as her brother, he had a say in Yukina's relationship, he was in a position to ensure that the unworthy creature would cease his suit. And he didn't believe in holding back.

4. until the very end

A month later, Kagome was indeed showing, and, thankfully, getting over her morning sickness, which occurred only in the morning, and not all day like her mother had complained about. She thanked the kami every day for the blessing. Yukina was still overjoyed that her brother had revealed himself, and even moreso that she had a little niece or nephew on the way, and now tended to busy herself even more in the kitchen to make sure she was getting proper nutrients for the baby. And although Kagome felt she was taking advantage of the woman, she never could turn down any of the delicious food Yukina made. Honestly, with the two siblings worrying after her so much, she had very little to worry about herself.

Although that wasn't to say that everything was running smoothly. The voices in the courtyard were proof enough.

"What, you think I'm not man enough for my Yukina?!"

"She's not yours. As her brother, I rejected your suit for her."

"You have no right!"

"Hn."

"I'll show you. I'll defeat you and prove I'm worthy of her."

"You're welcome to try, dimwit."

"Shizuru?" Kagome questioned, cautious, not really wanting an answer to her question.

"Yeah, hon?" The older woman was equally enthused.

"They're not gonna stop this any time soon, are they?"

"Nope. They're gonna keep going til the bitter end."

Kagome sighed and sipped her tea, wishing sake was an option. "I thought so."


	7. Ramen

Ramen

AN: This is the first continuation of Lost Her Marbles. Enjoy!

Kagome sighed, looking at her sorry excuse for a meal as she waited for it to heat up. Three minutes left to go. _May as well wash some dishes while I wait._

Considering how calm and boring the day had been, it was difficult for her to believe that only yesterday, she had met that handsome youkai who had helped her find the Shikon. Now, here she was, exhausted from too few hours of sleep and a double shift at the hospital. Fully clean from her wonderfully warm bath, now all she wanted was a quick meal and bed.

Putting the last dish in the drying rack, she turned around and glared at her silent intruder. "Hiei, I hope you know that counts toward your thirty days. I made it—" _For myself! _"—And you're eating it."

He paused in his eating, and judging by how many noodles were on the chopsticks, he was nearly finished with her instant meal. "Thirty-one."

"What?"

"Our deal was one month. Today is the first of October." He smirked—dear kami, she hated how sexy that was!—then finished up her noodles. "I expect better from you, onna, for the duration of our deal. That was tolerable at best."

Kagome stared at the spot he disappeared from before sighing and returning to the cabinet for another package, hoping that the water was still hot enough she wouldn't have to wait more than three minutes again.

_A youkai who doesn't like ramen? Go figure._


	8. Four's a Crowd

Note: written for one of The Deadliest Sin's March prompts, (4) the return of someone important. Enjoy!

* * *

Four's a Crowd

Hiei was _not pleased_.

Kagome giggled again.

No, scratch that. Hiei was _pissed off._

Who did that mangy mutt think he was, returning after so long? Sure that "I didn't want to screw things up by coming back too early excuse" was good enough for Kagome, but in Hiei's opinion—and his was the only one that mattered in this case—it was only the first of many ways the dog was screwing up his careful courtship of his Kagome.

Well, not _his—_not yet, anyways. And probably not ever if Kagome's happiness over Inuyasha's lengthy life was any indication. Damn youkai life spans. How could a hanyou live this long, anyways, even with the Inu no Taisho's blood?

He tried to take the high road, to leave them be, but he just couldn't make himself move from this branch, watching them from afar and gradually becoming more and more angry—at himself for having such feelings for a mere woman, at the woman for making him feel again, and at her past love for taking her away from him.

It had been three hours now that they'd been off alone. Three hours of them talking and hugging and crying and smiling. Three hours of this emotional roller coaster that he felt acutely due to the jagan. But now her emotions were settling out at a high level of happiness, and the mutt was leaning closer to her face…her lips…

_Oh no, he won't!_

With a burst of speed, Hiei leaped off the branch and ran the half mile to them in a second and grabbed Kagome away from her past love. _Past_ being the key word.

"Hiei, wha…?"

"Don't you dare put your lips on Kagome, dog. You had your chance. She's mine now."

He was confused when he didn't feel the anger he expected—from either party—but rather a sense of amusement. Did the dog think he wasn't a serious threat? Hiei would make him regret that. A growl started low in his throat, and his jagan flashed as Inuyasha stood up, finally ready to take the threat seriously.

And then Kagome zapped him with her powers. "Hiei, stop that," she said, hands on her hips. "He was just gonna kiss me on the cheek. We're friends, nothing more, and he doesn't want more. I'm yours only."

"Hn. That's what he wants us to think."

"Yes, that's what he wants us to think. Because it's the truth." Her amusement began to increase. "Besides, I don't think his mate would approve of him seducing me."

That certainly brought him out of his jealous rage."Mate?"

"Yeah." Kagome jerked a thumb behind her, to the wolf now standing by Inuyasha. "Him." With Hiei still silent, she continued. "They've been together for the past two hundred years or so."

The wolf grinned at him, and Hiei strained to resist the urge to pull out his sword. Violence against her friends would not be beneficial in his courtship of her. "Hey Kagome, we'll stop by later. I wanna hear more about my woman." His grip tightened. Inuyasha snickered.

"Aw, Kouga, stop fooling around," she said, blushing. "I'll see you guys soon."

And with that, they left. Kagome turned around and clung to his arm, leading him back to the shrine, and he slowly relaxed. Once they reached the shrine grounds, he took her in his arms and hopped onto the roof—their place, a place without any connections to her past—and laid back, Kagome half sprawled over his body.

"Hiei, were you really gonna fight for me?"

"Hn."

"That's so sweet."

And she kissed him.

On the lips.

With tongue.

_As it should be._


	9. The Pomegranate Clause

AN:

1. This is the 1st place entry for "the rest of the story" contest on thedeadliestsin, written for The Jagan by pumpkinpeaches1

2. YYH is AU, IY is CU

3. References: Section breaks are a combination of my words and quotes from Edith Hamilton's _Mythology, _http: / www. timelessmyths. com/classical/hades. html#Deities, and http: /www. endicott-studio. com/rdrm/rrpersephone. html . References to YYH mythology come from http: /www. angelfire. com/ny/leighsanime/myth. html

4. There is a small lemon towards the end.

**The Pomegranate Clause**

* * *

_The Underworld was a vague, shadowy place inhabited by shadows, and ruled by the gloomy god Hades. His subjects were not only the ghostly souls of the dead; there lived in the Underworld other immortal creatures, older than him yet accepting of his rule, such as Sleep and Death and Night personified, and the strange ferryman, Charon, who had been there long before Cronus had devoured his children; and there were those creatures that Hades had created himself, such as the Furies, the great torturers of evildoers. The Lord of the Underworld, the Rich One, the Great Host, lived out his days in this gloomy subterranean world, lonely among many, and wanting for nothing, yet missing something._

_

* * *

_She alleviated his boredom.

That's what he always told himself. That's what he always told himself when his gaze was inevitably drawn to her, like a single candle in a dark room.

Hiei snorted. A dark room: what an apt description for this place. It had been night when Reikai had created the barrier that caused Meikai to be shut away from the rest of the world. It had been locked into permanent darkness, frozen in a single moment, with only the stars and three hazy red moons to relieve the inhabitants of the land from the oppressing darkness. It had been centuries since Hiei had seen what passed as the sun in this land.

All inhabitants of an entire world were trapped in eternal night, all because their _esteemed ruler_ had to be an incompetent megalomaniac bent on world—_worlds—_domination. The fool couldn't even process youkai souls without help; what made him think he was capable of controlling billions of living people—and even more (_human_) souls? In any case, one psychopath tried to overthrow Reikai's goody-goody emperor and all of Meikai was punished.

_That's bureaucracy: shit rolls downhill._

He would know; that shit usually rolled downhill to him and his…well, whatever the other three were to him. The thought of calling them friends made his lips curl in disgust. Even when alive, he preferred his solitude and found others useless unless they were strong enough to survive a spar with him. And yet they weren't acquaintances; as the only three now capable of surviving a spar with him in this world, after centuries of being shut off from even Makai, they knew each other far better than simple acquaintances ever would.

Allies; that was a suitable term.

The four of them were, for all intents and purposes, the only reason why Meikai had not collapsed in on itself before the barrier went up around them, and the only reason why hoards of angry youkai spirits had not destroyed the world afterwards in their attempts to get out. And over the centuries, they had settled into their own, separate but overlapping, roles.

Kuwabara was a damned fool who always set Hiei on edge with his stupid code he thought the rest of them should adhere to. From the time the idiot had landed in the Meikai—and exactly how the weakling had maintained a physical body, Hiei had no clue—shortly before the barrier encased them, Hiei had struggled with the urge to kill him. Yet he didn't because, as he and the others soon found out, he was the only one with whom the weaker—and, let's face it, _sane_—youkai souls felt comfortable discussing their issues. And if there was anything Hiei had learned during his lifetime serving under different tyrants, it was to not upset the masses.

Yusuke—the hanyou son of a youkai lord who, before his death, somehow managed to sit down long enough to rule a portion of Makai—was brash and sometimes annoying, but strong and knew what to do when it mattered, and Hiei respected that. He dealt with a breadth of levels of youkai, the ones more inclined to start something, but less inclined to do so in large numbers. Of course, back when they had new souls coming in, or during the chaos at the beginning of the barrier, both Kuwabara and Yusuke had spent their days with Hiei and Kurama, controlling the highest rung of youkai souls, just below their own level—evil and power-hungry.

Nowadays, Hiei and Kurama didn't really need their assistance. When any of the more powerful souls was planning something, Hiei took personal pleasure in torturing or obliterating the soul. And the fox let him have that duty because of his current, centuries-long hobby: how to dismantle the barrier separating Meikai from the other three worlds. He claimed he was close to a breakthrough—had been, for at least a century now. Hiei would believe it when he saw it.

And so they each had their parts: the empathetic negotiator, the brash enforcer of order, the bloodthirsty assassin, and the obsessive problem solver. However, centuries after the barrier surrounded them, this became a problem; they all had their roles to play, but there was no chaos surrounding them, not even a new upstart thinking he could take over. Boredom settled in.

And so, only a few decades ago, Hiei opened his Jagan…and watched.

* * *

It had taken him years to be able to see beyond his own realm and into the Makai. Ningenkai had never been of interest to Hiei, except for a few jobs he had been sent there to accomplish, but once he saw into Makai, he knew he could never stop there. After all, if he were able to see into Ningenkai, it would only be a matter of time until he could see into Reikai, and perhaps even discover the secret to the barrier surrounding them…and hold it over Kurama's head for the rest of their existence. It would take time, true, but that was something Hiei had plenty of.

So he watched.

* * *

_It was rare that he left his dark realm to visit Olympus or the earth, nor was he urged to do so. He was not a welcome visitor. He was unpitying, inexorable, but just; a terrible, not an evil god. It came as a great surprise when, during one of his rare, solitary explorations of the world above that he saw a certain young goddess. Persephone was playing in a meadow with her companions, the Oceanids, when Hades saw and fell in love with her._

_

* * *

_It had taken Hiei almost twice the amount of years as it took to see into Ningenkai than it did to see into Makai. Over three decades since he opened his Jagan for this purpose, and what was the first sight that greeted him upon his first glance into Ningenkai after over seven centuries?

A bright pink arrow headed straight for him.

Hiei reeled back in shock, and in the back of his mind, he noted that, had any of his allies been present, he would have been forced to seriously maim them into secrecy.

In the second just before he lost his concentration, he thought he'd caught sight of a bit of green…and a lot of skin.

* * *

Hiei thought it was odd that, whenever he put the Jagan to the task of looking into Ningenkai, he only saw this girl and her odd group of companions. Not that odd fully described them. In truth, it was a walking band of contradictions: a powerful miko who couldn't properly use her powers, an inu hanyou with divided loyalties, a perverted houshi, a female taijiya, a kitsune pup who treated the miko like a mother (and vice versa) and an obviously ancient and powerful nekomata (after all, like kitsune and their tails, only the powerful ones could transform like that) who deigned the group worthy—or entertaining—enough for her presence.

Whether the reason for their being together rested solely in those jewel shards they collected from insane youkai and humans, Hiei wasn't sure, but it was obvious that the group didn't hate each other, other than that obvious tension between the miko and the hanyou, especially when that other miko and her shinidamachuu came around.

Great. A love triangle. Because Hiei just _loved_ spying for the latest gossip.

With any luck, soon he wouldn't be seeing this them any more. The miko's group was an odd mismatch of people, but together they were powerful—even more so if that jewel they were collecting was mystical in origin—and that power was probably the force drawing the Jagan to them, perhaps what allowed him to see into Ningenkai in the first place. The solution was simple: strengthen the Jagan so he wouldn't need them to stabilize his sight in Ningenkai, then he wouldn't have to bother with them anymore. Already, he was able to see for much longer than before, so it couldn't be too much longer until he would be free of this melodrama.

Simple.

* * *

'Frustrated' couldn't even begin to describe what Hiei was feeling at the moment. He was absolutely seething and about to explode.

He hadn't put that much work into training and strengthening the Jagan just to become stuck on some human girl's life story. _For a full year._

He had thought that, after all this time, he was finally free of that girl and her companions. He felt a glimmer of what others may call relief, but he called inevitable success, when he saw only that old miko in her hut. And then he caught sight of her in that alluring—_strange!—_skirt of hers, pushing the door covering out of the way as she entered the hut.

_Damn it!_

If he were one of his cruder, less mentally advanced allies, he would have expressed his frustration outwardly by ranting and yelling at any who crossed his path, possibly even start a fight. But everyone in Meikai knew not to cross him when he was in a mood, and any character out of behavior would become fodder for endless entertainment for the others.

So he did what he did best: he used his anger as a focus. There was no way he was going to continue spending the rest of his eternity watching silent films of this girl.

* * *

The sound of water shocked him, almost as much as the purifying arrow had before. Never before had the Jagan allowed him to hear what went along with the glimpses into the other worlds.

There was splashing and giggling and, in the background, the sound of birds. Even though it was the miko he was seeing again—this time playing in a hot spring with the kit and the slayer—this new aspect to his glimpses of her tempered his anger. It was, after all, just another sign that the Jagan was getting stronger.

He returned his attention to the scene, deciding to make the most of it. The kitsune had calmed down, and now the bath had really begun. The girl—Kagome—massaged the soap into the kitsune's hair and tail, and laughed as the kit cannonballed into the water to rinse out the soap before moving onto her own. The kit eventually grew bored and shook off before heading in the direction of what Hiei assumed was their camp, leaving the two women to talk in hushed tones. Taking in Kagome's downcast eyes and tense demeanor, he could assume what the subject was.

He only listened to the rest of the conversation with half an ear. Nothing was discussed between the two that he hadn't already assumed after watching the group for so long. Instead, he concentrated on maintaining the link between the Jagan and Ningenkai to continue strengthening the implant. When the telltale headache of overuse began, he allowed the connection to fade, the girl's voice remaining in his mind long after that.

* * *

Two years. Two years had passed since that day when he first heard her voice. In that time, she had grown into herself, and into her powers, like the fierce, carnivorous horse youkai in the Makai forests that begun life stumbling about before becoming a dominant force. She was no longer some pathetic girl in impractical attire. She was now a confident woman—and those form-fitting jeans she wore now were a definite improvement.

She fascinated him. His passing curiosity had begun with the question of what would she do—what would happen to her that she would turn to her advantage—next. Through kidnappings and attempted murders, she gained allies. Through her own clumsiness, she gained strength. Through sheer passage of time, she became beautiful.

And through it all remained the love triangle. The hanyou was a fool, for only a fool could think that a soul that had passed on so bitterly could retain any emotions but hate and any desires but revenge. Her poisoned words passed through the hanyou to Kagome, doing the damage the miko desired. Even though he knew, by Kagome's own admission (to the taijiya, of course), that she no longer desired Inuyasha as anything more than a friend, he could tell that with every comparison and every "secret" meeting with the other miko, she could feel the barbs of betrayal wrapping tighter. And yet, she was careful that she didn't alarm the group with her emotion; she understood that she was the tenuous thread holding them all together.

Hiei respected that, admired that.

But what he respected even more than her restraint, putting the quest before her own petty emotions, was her power. It was obvious that it was her energy that had drawn the Jagan in the first place. It was strong, and it was alien to him, after so long in Meikai, and therefore that energy signature was attractive to the energy-seeking implant. And now, she could use it. In a matter of years, she had changed from some weakling, cowering in the background behind the hanyou, and later the monk and taijiya, shooting off arrows as needed and shooting off her mouth more often. Now, though…Now, she didn't hesitate to stand tall before an enemy, could do more than shoot a few arrows. She could defeat weak youkai, and hold off stronger youkai at least long enough for the others to arrive.

She was weak in Hiei's eyes, but had potential. He could imagine her becoming a fierce opponent if only someone would train her. Yet, all the hanyou could do was swing his sword about without any technique; the monk, while proficient with his staff, also relied largely on sutras and his kazaana; and the taijiya, the best candidate of the group, was held down by her guilt over the annihilation of her village—without any training, her friend would be less likely to rush out onto the battlefield and get herself killed; not that she didn't already rush in without self-preservation in mind.

If she were his student—

Hiei banished the thought before it could fully form. Even if she could enter Meikai, or he leave it, why would he want to deal with her? She was just another pathetic human, right?

…_right…_

Yes, two years had passed and he was no longer frustrated with his inability to see past this girl. Rather, another emotion had developed. He felt what he would not call fear, for Hiei feared nothing, or love, for the same reason, but he felt definite distaste at the idea that one day, he would see beyond Kagome, and never see her again.

She alleviated his boredom.

That's what he always told himself.

* * *

_Hades, greatly wanting her, went immediately to his brother, Zeus. Knowing Persephone's mother, Demeter, would never allow the union, the two planned for Persephone's abduction by Hades. One day, while Persephone was alone in her meadow, Hades broke through the earth in his dark chariot and stole her away to his shadowy kingdom as Persephone cried out for her mother._

_

* * *

_The sense of wrongness hit suddenly and strongly, even before he opened up his jagan to watch Kagome. In the back of his mind, he acknowledged that it shouldn't be possible to be so connected to a single individual in such a way, through such a strong barrier, but he knew that that feeling didn't originate from Meikai—it had to have come from Ningenkai.

It took no time at all to see the problem: the forest that contained the dry well was saturated with a dark aura—that of the other miko—and Kagome had somehow allowed herself to be trapped. She could only stand there, the malevolent energy crushing her as she gasped out the hanyou's name—to no avail.

She would die.

As powerful as he knew she had become, she was still only human, and he knew she would die, and there was nothing he could do to help her.

But it wasn't like Hiei to give up. Kagome was _his_. He would not allow her to die.

And so he _pulled._

He pulled her toward him until all that kept him going was Kagome's gasps for Inuyasha that sounded like screams in his mind. Soon, it wouldn't be the hanyou's name she called—it would be his. With one final pull, he collapsed, his mind feeling like it had shattered into pieces, and so much worse. He could feel her, faintly, but she wasn't with him.

He saw a blur that had to be Kurama push past the debris in his way.

"Hiei? Hiei! I felt a spike of energy and…" He stopped, and Hiei could hear the horror in the fox's voice. A drop of black blood fell into Hiei's eye. Ah, the Jagan was bleeding; that would explain the indescribable pain.

"What happened?"

"Find…the miko…" He barely had the strength to cough out the words. And gods, his throat was raw.

"What? Hiei! Hi—!" And then he passed out.

* * *

Much like being kidnapped, Kagome was used to freefalling. She recognized that feeling of adrenaline and excitement and fear immediately.

What she wasn't used to was freefalling when, only a second ago, she had been standing in a meadow.

What she wasn't used to was not having someone there to catch her. She couldn't sense Inuyasha or Kirara, her usual rescuers, or Kouga or Sesshoumaru, or even a kidnapper who thought she was too valuable to die just yet. There was no one here. She could sense no life at all, just a faint sense of a lot of…some kind of energy.

There had been that almost recognizable darkness she had felt, and then that _pull_—the pull that had removed her from the crushing aura that Kikyou had unleashed. And yet, somehow, that same pull that had rescued her caused her to be here, falling to her death. She tried to open her eyes, to see what was around her, how close her death was, but she was falling fast enough that the wind prevented any clear vision, and as she waited for the last few seconds of her life to come to a close, she felt tears begin to form behind her eyes. She could remember so many times when she could have died—_should_ have died—but this was the first time that she knew she would die.

…And so, it came as a complete surprise when she felt not the painful crunch of bones just before she died, but a pair of soft, strong arms holding her securely. When she opened her eyes, her savior, still moving quickly, was looking down on her with a small, kind smile. She grabbed a handful of his shirt and bawled.

* * *

Kurama stared at the woman—the _miko_—under the plush covers in wonder. A living miko in Meikai. Hiei had done the impossible, had done something Kurama had been trying to do for centuries.

How powerful was his friend? And what drove him to bring this particular human over? Was it for her power? Was she simply the first person he found? Or was there some deeper explanation?

She obviously held some importance to the fire apparition or he wouldn't have expended so much energy, and he wouldn't have sent Kurama to go find her. Not that it was a difficult task by any means. Even if she hadn't been a powerful miko, he could just have easily followed the sense of a living being. Thankfully, he had managed to find her before she fell into the Futtoutaiga, where she surely would have died a painful death as the waters burned her skin and filled her lungs. He had caught her and carried her back to the palace, under the watch of the more harmless souls watching from the shadows as she fell asleep crying in his arms.

Hiei was in his own bedroom next door, still passed out from exhaustion. Kurama resisted the urge to pace at his frustration—how much did he want to wake them both up and interrogate him. If Hiei could bring this girl over from Ningenkai, could he eventually destroy the barrier?

Before he could think any further, he was interrupted by Yusuke's hysteric laughter. "Yo, Kurama—haha—You'll never guess what the dimwit—"

"Hey!"

"—here says. He thinks we've got a live one." At this point he was practically doubled over laughing.

"I'm not the only one, Urameshi—a bunch of the little guys felt it too—and some say they saw a human! There's a living aura close by, I can feel it."

"Yeah, sure ya do."

"It's true," Kurama interrupted before Yusuke could bring himself to another laughing fit.

At Yusuke's reply of "What, seriously?" (as Kuwabara muttered "Told ya so.") Kurama jutted his thumb towards the bed, which only caused Yusuke to chuckle.

"Man, Kurama, you finally get past the barrier and the first thing you do is bring over a girl. Why am I not surprised, ya womanizer?"

Kurama glared at him, partially at his friend's blatant disrespect of his many previous, careful seductions, and partially at the fact that… "It wasn't me."

"But, if it wasn't you," Kuwabara ventured, "then who? Did she somehow stumble on a weak spot or somethin'?"

"It was Hiei."

That shut them up.

* * *

_No one heard the Maiden except Hecate in her cave and Helios the Sun and her noble mother Demeter who immediately put on mourning clothes and began to search for her daughter.__No one would tell Demeter the truth, so for nine days she wandered, grieving for her daughter. On the tenth day she was joined by Hecate who had heard Kore's cries but did not see who bore her away. Together the goddesses went to Helios who knows and sees all, and he informed them that it was Zeus who gave Kore away to Hades, his own brother, to be his wife and that Hades had carried her off screaming. Distraught Demeter decided to punish those who deemed take her daughter away, and withdrew her gift of grain from the land. Gods and mortals were threatened alike: humanity was in danger of starving and the gods received no offerings for there was no longer a harvest. Zeus took note of this and sent many other gods and goddesses, one after the other, to appease the wrath of Demeter. They offered her wonderful gifts, exhorted her to restore the grain, but she would have none of it; growing ever more angry, she vowed that she would never set foot on Olympus again until she saw her daughter's beautiful face._

_

* * *

_"What did she say, Inuyasha?" asked Miroku, watching his companion walking from the woods, and catching in the corner of his eye a shinidamachuu heading in the opposite direction.

Inuyasha stopped in front of them, arms crossed, defensive. "Kikyou says she doesn't know what happened to Kagome."

"Like hell she doesn't!"

"Sango—"

"No, Miroku, I won't calm down! You," she said, pointing at Inuyasha, "said her scent was fresh in that clearing, and close to where Kagome disappeared. And you," her accusing finger shifted to Miroku, "said that the entire area was saturated with her aura, like there was some kind of spell." She put her hands on her hips, as if daring the two men to argue with her. "She has something to do with Kagome's disappearance, I'd stake Hiraikotsu on it."

"Now listen here," Inuyasha bit back, one hand shifting towards Tetsusaiga, "If Kikyou said she had nothing to do with it, then I believe her!"

"Oh yeah, because she's been so trustworthy in the past!"

"Bit—"

Miroku stepped between them, holding off the battle that was sure to ensue between his two hot-headed companions. "Stop it, both of you." After more than a week of searching for Kagome, or searching for Kikyou who was likely the last person to have seen Kagome, the entire group was frustrated—and very worried. "Shippou has only just been able to get to sleep. We're all worried about Kagome, and angry that we can't find her, but rather than unleash our tempers upon each other, we should think about what to do next." Both relaxed their stances, but continued to glare at each other.

"You're right."

"Keh."

"Now," Miroku said, sitting on a log around their small campfire, urging the other two to do the same, "did Kikyou say anything else?"

Inuyasha furrowed his brows and looked up towards the stars. "Not really. Just something about sensing some kind of energy just before Kagome disappeared, like the mouth of hell just opened up and swallowed her."

"Naraku?"

"I doubt it. If she had sensed Naraku, she would have said it was him."

"Perhaps she was referring to Meikai."

They all looked at Kirara, sitting quietly by the fire, in confusion. In return, she tilted her head to the side and mewed. A second later, Myoga popped his head out of her fur. "Myoga? Stupid flea, how long have you been there?"

"Ohh, Inuyasha-sama," the flea said, adding a few drops of exhaustion to his voice, "I've been searching for you since I heard Kagome-sama disappeared. I was so relieved when I found your camp and this wonderful nekomata allowed me to rest my weary legs…"

"Save it, flea," Inuyasha said, picking him up and squishing him. "What's this Meikai?"

"Yes, I heard about it during my training, but it was referred to only as a myth."

"Same here."

"Well," the flea said, escaping from Inuyasha's grasp and to Sango's shoulder, the farthest he could get from the hanyou, "it is possible it is just a myth, but all myth is based in truth. Long ago, Meikai was the world that demon souls went to once their bodies died, while human souls went to Reikai. However, it was ruled by a powerful creature named Yakumo, who tried to take over the other worlds. Luckily, a the peak of his invasion, something happened that weakened his army greatly, so Enma and his army were able to place a powerful barrier around the whole of Meikai—a barrier so powerful that nothing and no one can get in or out."

"So, you think it's possible that Kagome's in Meikai?" Sango asked. The thought was not comforting.

Myoga nodded. "It's possible. Barriers can weaken over time, and it has been many centuries. And it is the place that 'hell' originally referred to."

"That's great and all Myoga, but how the fuck are we gonna get there?"

"For that…there is a fabled opening, high in the mountains. If you are able to find it, perhaps the Tetsusaiga could break the barrier."

* * *

_As Demeter grieved for her lost daughter, Persephone longed for the comforting arms of her mother, and the cheerful land of the living. She lost herself in depression, refusing all tokens and acts of appeasement from her gloomy husband, and refusing to eat the food of the dead. Miserable, the goddess of the spring became a shadow of her former self._

_

* * *

_Kagome awoke slowly, stiffly, as if she had been still for a long time. After so much time fighting and getting injured in the past, it was a feeling she was used to. It was when she began to move her eyes, feeling the salt left over from tears encrusting them, that she heard a nearby rough voice call out, "Yo, Kuwabara, she's waking up. Go and get her something t'eat."

"Fine, whatever." The owner of that voice was pretty grumpy.

She took a few minutes to get used to the feel of the place she was in—unlike anything she'd felt before, on either side of the well, and yet so full of youki—before opening her eyes, which were immediately greeted by the green eyes of the red-haired man practically hovering above her.

"'Bout time you woke up," said the first voice. "Kurama's been going crazy with curiosity." She looked over to where he was, leaning against a wall on one side of the bed. With slicked back hair and that leather jacket, he certainly looked the part of a teenage rebel—though with the power she could feel from him, she knew that he was no teenager.

"Be quiet, Yusuke." Nor was the redhead. "Are you alright, miko?"

"Kagome. Please, just call me Kagome." She began to sit up in bed, slowly—she'd been injured enough to know the drill. "And I'm fine, I think. But where am I?"

"Don't worry about that. For now, just know you're safe. Though, I must say, for such a powerful miko, you take being surrounded by youkai extremely well."

"That's probably because I'm used to being surrounded by youkai." She smiled brightly at him and raised a finger. "In fact, it's hard to remember the last time I made friends with someone that wasn't trying to kill me. Or steal from me. Or kidnap me. Actually, I'm curious to meet whoever kidnapped me to…wherever we are."

"Ah." Kagome couldn't help but notice how his voice wavered over that sound. "That would be Hiei. You'll have to wait on that introduction. He passed out after pulling you through the barrier."

"Barrier?"

"Yes, the barrier that surrounds Meikai."

_Meikai? Wasn't that in some story gramps told me about?_ Kurama must have seen her mind working and shushed her before she could ask another question. "For now, you should just relax. My name is Kurama, my companion here is Yusuke, and…" the door opened, revealing a tall, orange-haired man with what appeared to be some kind of strange fruit in a bowl, "This is Kuwabara."

"Hey there, we thought you might be hungry," he said, placing the bowl down by her hands. Still trying to remember where she'd heard of Meikai before, she was only offhandedly listening and mechanically put her hand in the bowl coming out with something that resembled a purple apple. It wasn't until she bit into the fruit that she remembered that old story her grandfather had told her, and then it was a struggle not to spit out her food in shock.

"Wait," she said, halting any conversation they had been trying to have with her or each other. "Do you mean Meikai, as in the netherworld—where demon souls go when they die? Am I dead or something_?_ Is this where miko who don't hate youkai go? What did I do to deserve this?_"_ She began to fling off the bed sheets, needing to get away. She knew she was panicking, but once she started she couldn't stop; it was like she wasn't in control of her own body.

Then she caught a glimpse of a dark figure in the doorway, dried blood all over him. "Calm down, onna." And just like that, staring into the eyes of that dark-haired youkai, feeling that familiar aura, she did.

She barely noticed someone catching her as her vision darkened.

* * *

"So you four are like, super-high-class youkai who keep all the youkai souls in line?" The first three she had met—Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara, as Hiei had collapsed from exhaustion, apparently from pulling her into this world, something she wasn't sure whether or not to thank him for—had just finished giving her a tour of the palace grounds and had stopped in the gardens to allow her to grab a quick snack—only her, as apparently they, being dead, had no need for any food. It was still difficult for her to wrap her head around the fact that she was in the youkai land of the dead, but now that she knew she wasn't dead, she was able to feel awe at everything she had seen so far.

"Yes, that is correct."

She leaned closer to Kurama, asking the question she'd been needling towards for the past few minutes. "You know, you two," she said, pointing at Kuwabara and Kurama, "don't look much like youkai. Believe me, I've had experience. I mean, Yusuke at least has those markings. And Hiei…well, even with his youkai depleted, his aura speaks for itself. But what about you guys? I mean, you look like perfectly normal humans."

"That's because the idiot here," Yusuke jumped in, receiving a glare from Kuwabara, "is just a tengu. He can transform and all, but this is his usual form. Explains the big schnoz, though."

While Yusuke defended himself from Kuwabara for that last comment, Kurama continued. "His forest was ravaged during a huge battle between warlords, so he ended up here."

"Okay, then what about you?"

"I was killed while on business in Ningenkai. This was the form I was in at the time, to blend in."

"_Business_." Yusuke snorted, walking away from the fight, victor for now. "That was the fox's favorite form to pick up human chicks, back in the good ol' days." The two hotheads snickered, ignoring Kurama's glare. "He probably copied it from some pretty-boy back when he was alive."

"Wait a sec. So…all of you are dead? I mean, I know this is where youkai souls end up, but you guys don't feel dead at all, not like the others I've felt."

"Well, yes and no. Most youkai spirits come here and either stay permanently or long enough to rest before being reincarnated. It's really not so different from Reikai's way of doing things. But when a particularly strong youkai dies, he can become a mei-youkai: his youki will remain with his soul after death and form a new physical body that operates similarly as when he was alive, with some exceptions."

"Such as?"

"Back when we could travel between worlds, we could live easily in Makai for weeks at a time, but for much less time in Ningenkai, and only the strongest among us could last more than a day in Reikai. Our bodies begin to shut down after a while outside of Meikai without certain nutrients."

"Nutrients."

"There are certain substances here that maintain our strength. Elsewhere, we can drink mortal blood to sustain ourselves, but it's really not enough. You know, now that I think about it, perhaps that is where all those myths about vampires in your world come from. There used to be many more of us, far more than were needed, and we were free to come and go as we pleased…"

"And man, were those the days!"

"You said it, Kuwabara."

She listened to their escapades and battles from their days among the living for a while until conversation died down.

"So…" she began hesitantly, her brows furrowed in confusion, "This may be a stupid question, but why doesn't this Yakumo just apologize or something? Surely being under surveillance or whatever is better than being shut off."

"Because the dude's nuttier than a fruit cake."

"And dead."

"Yeah, that was a really awesome day."

"Well then, why don't _you_ guys tell the…the Reikai, right? Why not tell him that Yakumo's dead—by your hands! Surely something could be done!"

"When I said that we're shut off, Kagome, I meant it. No one, not even youkai souls, are permitted in or out, and there is no way of communicating between this world and another. The barrier makes it so we're like a closed off bubble floating around in space. I've been trying for…let's say a very long time to solve the problem, but Hiei pulling you through the barrier is the first bit of success any of us have had."

"You know," she mused, "it's too bad he didn't pull through Inuyasha. His red Tetsusaiga could have solved all your problems."

Sensing her mood, and doubting this was true, Kurama replied, "Or maybe there's a reason you were the one Hiei chose."

* * *

Kagome had said she was tired, that she was returning to the guest room where she had first woken up, but instead, she followed Hiei's aura to his room, just across the hall from her.

What Kurama had said made her wonder, why did Hiei choose her? Why did he feel so familiar to her, so comforting? She had her suspicions, but she needed to talk to this mysterious youkai.

His room was dark, and plain, which seemed to suit him. Aside from the bed, there was only a dresser and a chair, which she brought over to his bedside. Crimson covers were brought up to his chest, arms on either side on top of the covers. Even from this small glimpse, she knew that he was very well muscled—but not overly so; he had the body of one who worked to keep it that way, but not one who did nothing but work out.

His face was calm now, not twisted in pain and exhaustion like when she first saw him after she woke up. And that third eye—that strange thing with its own aura—was now bandaged, blood no longer dripped down his face.

Nervous, not knowing what else to do, she began to speak.

"Kurama says you somehow pulled me through from my world into yours, even though you have been trapped here for centuries with no way to contact the outside world. Yet, your energy didn't feel foreign to me. It feels similar to something that I felt for a long time, like the feeling you get when someone's watching you, a feeling that I got used to after a while. So I wonder, have you been watching me all these years, watching over me like some strange guardian angel?

"I'm no angel, miko." His voice was dark, smooth. "I'm the opposite."

Kagome smiled faintly. "And yet you saved me at the time of my greatest need, when I couldn't defend myself and had no one to help me. What else can I call you, if not my guardian angel?"

His eyes opened and met hers, and in that moment, her breath stuck in her throat.

"Hiei."

* * *

Kagome enjoyed spending her days at Hiei's side, and it was obvious to her that Hiei felt the same.

He liked her, she could tell. Kagome had known her fair share of youkai to be able to read him well. He wasn't the sort to go around proclaiming his love like Kouga; nor was he the type to flutter back and forth between old love and new, not being able to decide where his loyalty lay like Inuyasha.

No, Hiei was definitely more of a Sesshoumaru: quiet, intensely loyal to whatever cause he chose. He wasn't a superhero or a diabolical villain; rather, he was the honorable bad guy or the anti-hero of the group.

She recalled the times he had seen Sesshoumaru interacting with Rin. He cared deeply for her, like a father. It was always the small things: getting extra clothing for her in the winter, stopping to allow the girl to eat during the day and sleep at night, patting her head as she presented him with wildflower bouquets, fresh fish she caught on her own, or pictures drawn in crayons from Shippou's collection.

Yes, he was much more like Sesshoumaru; she could tell by the small things: that he calmly allowed her company—and jealously monopolized it, to the obvious surprise of the others; that he would pluck fruit for her from the tall trees when she began to feel hungry, as if he were reading her mind; the way his aura would envelop hers, not in an overpowering manner of youkai versus miko, but rather like a caress, a hug between lovers.

He may have been like Sesshoumaru, but she was definitely no Rin. Not with the way his eyes would capture hers, making her body heat up…

He saw her as something more, but the question was, what?

Knowing he was the one that had somehow pulled her through a supposedly impenetrable barrier, she knew he was powerful enough to wear her down if not outright overpower her through sheer skill and experience and, well…do whatever he wanted with her.

Yet, on the other hand, she considered, looking down at the blunted sword in her hands, being held after so long only by sheer willpower, _If he simply wanted to do what he will to my body, why would he be training me to protect myself?_ _Why would he be nice at all? He doesn't seem the sort to go through an elaborate ruse just to get what he wants._

She shook her head of her thoughts, knowing she needed to concentrate on her opponent for however much longer he decided this training session should be.

"Again."

* * *

"Yo. Kurama."

The fox sighed, frustrated. He was at a cliff near the barrier where Kagome had fell through, trying to detect a tear or something—but there was nothing.

"What, Yusuke?"

"Something's up with Hiei."

"Meaning…?" he asked, still barely listening.

Yusuke put his hand to his hair, frustrated. "I can't believe _I'm _the one who has to explain it to _you_, Kurama. You just can't stand that Hiei did something you couldn't—" Seeing Kurama's glare, Yusuke decided to stop before it turned into what would be a, in another situation welcome, brawl. "Don't you find it weird that, after decades of barely any contact with even us, Hiei can't seem to let that chick out of his sight? I mean, she's hot and all, but it's Hiei we're talking about. His idea of fun is slaughtering whoever decides to try an' take over. Now, he's being all nice; let's her follow him around, he's even training her! It's been weeks!"

Kurama finally turned to Yusuke and sighed. "I do admit, I've been wondering why he brought her over. I assumed at first it was perhaps her extraordinary raw power, but if what you are saying is true…She did say when she first appeared that she'd sensed some kind of danger before Hiei pulled her through the barrier. Perhaps he has other motives, and there is far more to the story than we know. As you said, we've seen him only rarely these past couple of decades." Kurama turned back to where Kagome had fallen through to Meikai and sighed. "As much as I'd like to observe them, it's obvious I'm not getting anything accomplished on my own."

"Ya gonna ask Hiei for help?"

"Of course not. He wouldn't help anyways. No, he'll have to deal with his jealousy issues while I run some tests on Kagome." And with stiff determination, he headed in the direction of the castle.

* * *

Hiei paced back and forth, frustrated and impatient beyond belief. And yet, he didn't act on his emotions because to do so would be to admit that he cared far more for the miko than he was willing to let Kurama—and, through dropped hints or outright gossip, Yusuke and Kuwabara—to know. Only a few weeks—and several years of spying—and he was ready to mate the miko. His instincts to protect what was his were on full alert, and yet, when Kurama had just that morning forcefully requested Kagome's presence—_and she agreed to it, dammit!—_he'd stalked out of the room in anger; now, he couldn't go back without admitting he was wrong, and suggesting certain…_feelings._

So he kept track of her as he had in the past: with the Jagan. She seemed to be in good spirits, but bored, which was good—that meant she had no interest in the fox, that letch.

He looked up, aware that her and Kurama's aura's were no longer quite so close, and she was heading towards him. He closed the gap between him and as he appeared in front of her, her expression changed from exhausted to genuinely happy.

"You will follow me."

Kagome obeyed as, even though his words were gruff, he held his hand out to her and when she placed hers in his, lacing their fingers, he gave a small squeeze. He may have told her to follow, but, as he led her to a part of the realm she had never seen before, their shoulders bumped and there was a content silence between them.

It was a type of love Kagome had never experienced before, but it was the type of love her mother had described when talking about her father. She had loved Inuyasha, true; but that love was a first love, it was shy and passionate and frustrating…and there was competition that made her think, in the back of her mind, that she would never be her own person in Inuyasha's eyes. What her mother had described was like a steady fire, in comparison to a short-lived bonfire: to have passion in the relationship, but not let that passion rule you, to discover each others' faults, but cherish them, to be able to simply be together and be happy, not having to impress each other all the time, to know that any fighting between them would only make them stronger. A slow-burning fire.

Her thoughts were cut short at the sight of the clearing before her. It was filled with white- and yellow-colored flowers, petals rimmed in red. The trees surrounding the clearing, while a huge youkai variety, seemed to glow with an almost holy light. And, throughout the clearing were floating globes of light, about the size of a fist. As they watched in silence, several of them approached her, and she could have sworn she heard childish laughter.

"Hiei?" she asked, quietly so as not to disturb the scene before them.

"This is the place where the souls of youkai children too young and too powerless to have a form in death go. None with evil intent may enter." By this time, more of the globes—souls—had noticed them, and Kagome had attracted quite a crowd. "I know that you miss your kit," he said, beginning to release her hand and ignoring the question in her eyes. "Go, they wish for you to play with them."

Kagome decided to let it go—for that moment. She loved children, and she did miss her fox kit. He would be well taken care of by the others, but she knew that she had, in a way, taken the place of his mother. She returned her attention to the children surrounding her. Hiei had said that these were the children that had not yet acquired enough power to have a form in death. She imagined they couldn't have been more than toddlers, perhaps perished by disease or attack by other youkai or humans. Yet, in Meikai, they were able to have some bit of happiness, some bit of comfort amongst each other. And perhaps, if that barrier were to be broken, they could begin life anew. She began to play.

Hiei watched as she frolicked with the children, dancing and playing amongst the flowers. She was truly radiant with her hair down, dressed in a light yukata, with an expression of delight on her face. Compared to how she was after leaving Kurama, she looked completely reenergized. When she finally returned to him, about an hour later, she put her arms around him and kissed him, just long enough for their tongues to meet before she leaned back. "Thank you."

He only gave her a smirk before taking her hand and leading her to the next destination of the night, barely taking note that, even a year ago, already deeply entranced by the miko, he never would have imagined the changes wrought in him. Now, tonight could be an end or a beginning.

* * *

_Eventually Zeus relented, and promised to send Hermes to retrieve Persephone and return her to Demeter, so long as Persephone had not eaten any food of the dead. However, u__nable to bear depriving herself any longer, and unknowing that she would soon be rescued, Persephone slipped away into a hidden area of the garden, just long enough to have a few seeds of a pomegranate, completely unaware that Hades' trusted gardener watched her._

_

* * *

_Within fifteen minutes, they'd made it to their destination, a small area near a burbling stream concealed by a copse of trees. A blanket had been laid out, covering most of the grass, and there was a plate of foods that could be eaten cold. "Beautiful…" Kagome felt her heart swell at the romantic gesture as Hiei guided her down beside him to begin their simple meal, though she knew it was more for her than the strangely quiet fire apparition.

Not wanting to spoil the mood, but not willing to deny her curiosity much longer, Kagome waited until she had eaten her fill to address Hiei. "I never told you about Shippou."

Hiei tried not to let any emotion cross his face, but knew he failed, so he told her everything and waited for the outcome. He knew from his own experience and from watching her that she had a fiery temper that could make the bravest of youkai think twice before making her angry, thus he was surprised when, after telling her that he'd been spying on her life, at even the most intimate of moments, she did not become angry but rather thoughtful. It was even worse in his opinion: he could deal with anger, expected anger, but this mood was lasting a long time. Hiei cursed his inexperience with women—with other living beings in general.

"First of all, you should know that I am upset that you hid this from me for so long. It's one thing to spy on me; it's another to keep the secret for so long, especially since this is not the first time I asked you." When she finally looked at him again, into his eyes, as if she could see into his soul, it was with a strange expression, accepting yet apprehensive. "But before I decide anything, I have two questions." He nodded. "First question: Why did you bring me here, to Meikai I mean?"

_That _certainly wasn't what he expected. Sinking into the callous persona he used to deal with his allies, he almost said that it was because he didn't want such a powerful opponent to be killed by a simple trap, but that wasn't true—hadn't been true for a long time. He tried to think of what to say, and she seemed content to wait. Finally, looking back into her eyes with his emotions plain to see, he answered, "Without you, life would have lacked meaning. You are not an ordinary human, you are my Kagome. Mine. I will not allow you to die."

Smiling, she leaned forward, her lips close to his and said, "Question two: What is this place?"

"The place where lovers' souls go to meet each other."

Then she kissed him, slowly, tenderly. Hiei wasn't able to respond before she leaned away again, smiling. "I love you too."

Her declaration gave him momentum to take control, knowing that she wanted this just as he did. He brought her to him, adding more fire, more passion to the kiss; the moans and the heady scent of arousal he received in return made him hard. If just a kiss could do this to him, how long could he last? He wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her at that moment, but, although she wasn't shy about it—she was from the future after all—he knew he was her first. And he would make sure he was her last.

He saw that her yukata was beginning to loosen around her shoulders and, not wanting to be separated by clothing any longer, he quickly dispatched his shirt as she worked on his belts, kissing and licking along his neck and chest. With him nude, he began working the yukata off, slowly parting it as he loosened the sash, taking his time on each breast, her moans and cries begging for more, before leaving a trail of kisses down her abdomen before arriving at his prize.

Beneath the lacy garment, her scent was strong, wonderful. Without a pause he disintegrated them. It was only when she felt a lick that she began to protest, but when he refused to stop, her cries rang out again, her face contorted in the most amazing way, before the sensitive woman reached a crescendo. If only watching her come could make him harder than he'd ever been, he wasn't about to wait to join her.

Rising up to her, she brought her arms around his body, bringing him closer. "Please Hiei…" Wanting nothing more than to appease both their need, he thrust into her. She was tight and slick and felt absolutely heavenly around his burning cock. He paused for a moment as a grimace of pain crossed her face and her nails dug a little into his back, but he'd prepared her well and soon she began thrusting against him, ready. He smiled, returned to her mouth, and began to quicken the pace.

What neither of the two noticed as passion took hold of their senses was the movement of the dragon, normally kept under the wraps of Hiei's arm, as it slowly crept along the fire apparition's arm to Kagome.

* * *

_By his brother's order, Hades __Hades harnessed his horses to his chariot and returned Persephone to the world above. Mother and daughter were overjoyed at their reunion when suddenly Demeter asked if Persephone had eaten any of the food of the Underworld. As she tried to decide whether to tell the truth, Hades' gardener appeared from the shadows and said that yes, the young goddess had indeed eaten six seeds from a pomegranate. Demeter, distraught, begged for Zeus to intervene. Not wanting to go back on his word, but not wanting the humans to continue to suffer, Zeus negotiated with Hades. Persephone had eaten six seeds, and would therefore spend six months of the year alongside Hades as Queen of the Underworld and six months with her mother. Thus, as each year Persephone descended to her husband's kingdom, Demeter's distress would cause the plants to sleep and nothing would grow, and as Persephone returned each year, the snow would melt and the once desolate landscapes would bloom again._

_

* * *

_Kurama couldn't decide who was more baffled at the current predicament: Yusuke or Kuwabara. Honestly, if there had been any women of physical substance around them in the last few centuries, he imagined it would have happened much sooner. It was really all about picking the right one for Hiei. It was not a coincidence the only one to get through the barrier ended up being "the one".

"I still don't see what Kagome-chan sees in him. The shrimp's been a total bastard since I met 'im," Kuwabara groused.

"He still _is_ a bastard. Nowadays, if we even mention Kagome's name, he's ready to slice our heads off. He just doesn't let her see it."

"Oh, no, Yusuke, she definitely knows how Hiei is, she just doesn't care."

"How would you know, Kurama?"

His eyebrow rose. "I was with her for almost an entire day. Do you really think I only ran tests? If I could seduce hundreds of women into my bed during my life—and death, for that matter—how could you think I couldn't get her to talk about her love life. And I do believe she loves him; she acknowledged his faults—all of them—and accepted them. She, being a miko, wouldn't take mating a youkai lightly."

"Great. So now they're _in love_ and going at it like—"

"Hey, do you guys feel that?"

Yusuke rolled his eyes. Kuwabara may be his buddy, but the guy could be so jumpy. "Feel wha—Shit!"

In his own room, Hiei was quickly throwing on clothes and strapping on his sword. Next to him, Kagome did the same, despite his instructions to "stay". Her glare was enough for him to back down, just this once, so long as she didn't venture to the front lines. Her hama-no-ya would be useful, but when youkai were both friend and enemy, they could be equally dangerous.

With her breasts bound and yukata tied, Kagome grabbed her quiver and bow and followed Hiei out to meet the hoard of youkai. Hiei had known when he'd temporarily torn the barrier that it would catch the interest of the souls in Meikai. Within the first few days, souls had flocked to them—mostly to Kuwabara—to inquire about their possible freedom. The only ones that hadn't stirred were the most powerful, the most dangerous among them. It was a small curiosity to him, but of no consequence until now. Now, he knew why they waited: after sensing Kagome's entry, one of them had gained enough control over the others to band them together, and now they were attacking.

Kurama nodded to him as he passed through the castle wall, and raised an eyebrow when he saw Kagome, but didn't press.

The youkai at the head of the hoard was a snake youkai, bald and narrow-eyed. When he spoke, it wasn't with a lisp or a hiss, but his voice was coated in disdain. "I am Dokueki, the strongest of youkai in Meikai. You will give me the miko or you will perish."

Yusuke had barely said "fuck you, mouse breath" before Hiei struck. Dokueki was barely able to dodge, but the youkai behind him was not so lucky.

Before Kagome knew it, the fight had begun in earnest. Hiei and the others were incredibly strong, but there were a lot of opponents for each of them. Not that they weren't enjoying it. Kagome was finding it a bit more difficult though. She was used to having to battle huge amounts of youkai—how many times had Naraku thrown hundreds of weak youkai at them for a battle strategy? At those times, her arrows and Miroku's kazaana were invaluable. Usually, she didn't have friends in the way. Her arrows were effective, but only when she had a clear shot. And slowly, she was attracting youkai with hungry eyes.

_They're strong, but if Inuyasha and the others were here…_

It was as she was reaching back for an arrow to hold off the newest group brave enough to approach her that she felt her arm wrenched back and heard the tear of her sleeve as the pain seeped in. The youkai was behind her, holding her on her toes by her arm, with one hand to her throat. In that moment, she closed her eyes, cried out her need and…

"KAGOME!"

_Inuyasha?_

With the sound of a sword cutting through flesh, she was dropped. Before her she saw the familiar red cloth of her friend and Miroku and Sango leaned down to check her over as Shippou rushed into her for a tearful hug.

"Kagome! We found the gateway to Meikai and Inuyasha tried and tried for hours with the red Tetsusaiga but it didn't work then suddenly it did and I missed you so so much!"

_Oh, Shippou._ Kagome did her best to hug him with the arm that didn't have pain shooting through it.

Inuyasha turned away from the battle as they were safe for now. "Come on, Kagome, we're going." But before he could lift her, Hiei, in an incredible burst of speed snatched her away, depositing her at the door to the castle wall.

"You're not going anywhere with her, hanyou." Just coming out of the midst of battle and preparing for a new one, Kagome couldn't help but notice he looked energized, and with his sword out, deceptively lazily at his side, she knew he was dangerous—a match for Inuyasha, if not stronger.

"You got a lotta nerve, shorty."

"Inuyasha, sit." The mild punishment gave Kagome enough time to position herself between the two possessive youkai. "You two will _not_ be fighting each other. And," she said, turning to Inuyasha who was just then removing himself from the ground, "I will not be leaving. Not for a while. And besides," she continued, motioning to the remaining attacking souls, "there's another matter at hand, if all of you wouldn't mind helping out."

Miroku and Sango looked at each other with bemused expressions before motioning Kirara over to Kagome, who had begun to heal herself, and heading off. Inuyasha and Hiei were much more reluctant, which was strange for both of them, but neither one would leave the other with Kagome.

If the number of youkai attacking hadn't made a huge difference for the fighters beforehand, the addition of the Inutachi made the outcome of the battle obvious. However, even though one battle had ended, the other hadn't.

"I told you, she's coming with me!"

"And I told you, Inuyasha, don't talk like I'm not here! And put those swords away—you're not gonna attack each other!"

"Hn."

"Feh!"

"Look, Inuyasha," Kagome said, trying to calm herself, "I'm Hiei's mate. This," she indicated the dark dragon head resting on her shoulder where the fabric had ripped, the rest of its body was around hers, "isn't just a tattoo. I'm mated to Hiei. I wanted that. I can't—I won't give him up." At this, Hiei flashed a pointed smirk at the hanyou.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, angry and hurt. "So you're gonna give all of us up? You're gonna let Naraku have his way?"

Kagome slumped at Inuyasha's words. Hiei went to her, put an arm around her and growled at the hanyou. "No, Inuyasha, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying we should compromise."

"How, Kagome? I can't just break through the barrier whenever you wanna visit your boyfriend. You heard Shippou, we almost thought it wouldn't work at all. And now the hole I tore is shrinking. We need to get outta here."

Kurama stepped forward. "I believe I have a solution."

"No shit, Kurama?"

He ignored Yusuke and concentrated on Kagome's and Hiei's intent eyes. "As your companion said, he ripped a hole through the barrier, a hole that is shrinking, but is still there. That means that communication with Reikai is possible. I bet they have alarms going off right now."

"Yeah, and we can get them to take down the barrier!"

"'Bout time."

They all rushed to the communication room, opening the door to the sound of, "Ogre, why didn't you tell me sooner? Prepare the special forces! Dammit, why did dad have to choose now to go on vaca—"

"Hello." Kagome greeted the frantic toddler on the screen.

"A human? What the hell are you doing in Meikai? Why hasn't Yakumo eaten you yet?" Koenma was practically crawling on his desk for all he was leaning forward

Hiei put Kagome behind him and glared. "You will treat my mate with respect."

"Mate?"

"And the crazy dude's dead, by the way, toddler," Yusuke piped up from the back.

"Don't call me toddler! Who killed him? When?"

"The four of us, way back when you idiots put up the barrier. Thanks for nothing!"

"Why you—"

"Lord Koenma, sir, the tear, the tear!" said the blue man behind the toddler prince.

"Ah, yes, that's right. Who tore the hole in the barrier."

"Keh, my Tetsusaiga can cut through any barrier. Piece of cake." There were more than a few rolled eyes, but they let him have his glory.

Koenma looked over them all for a minute, thoughtful and hmm-ing. "Miko."

"Yes?"

"Are you able to vouch for the characters of these four mei-youkai?"

Without hesitation, she replied, "Yes. I've spent nearly two months with them now, and I believe they are all honorable. But, Lord Koenma, more than that…Yakumo is dead, and so are all of his supporters. There are so many other souls living here, all of them youkai, but none of them by any means evil enough to be kept from reincarnation. They have been trapped, too, for the faults of one they couldn't refuse. The barrier needs to be removed."

"I see." He looked down to his folded hands, thinking on her words before looking up again. "I am not able to remove the barrier—"

"What!"

"Damn Reikai!"

"Quiet, both of you."

"Ah-hem. As I was saying, I cannot remove the barrier; that will have to wait until my father returns. I can however, stabilize that tear until something can be done. In the meantime, I can negotiate the terms of the dissolving of the barrier."

This was met by cheers.

* * *

It was a wondrous thing to see the first sunrise in Meikai for over five hundred years. It was even more wondrous to enjoy it in the arms of his mate. As the dark sky changed from near black to purple to orange, he held her, stroking the dragon, identical to the one on his arm, that had wrapped itself around her body, marking her as his, and basked in his memories of their last night of lovemaking before she had to return to her world.

The negotiation hadn't taken too long. Unfortunately, cleanup duty had been left in their hands again. Hiei and his allies would be co-ruling Meikai, and while Hiei had been spending his time with his mate, Kurama had been spending his days looking for assistants. However, in return for making a smooth transition, taking back the youkai souls in Reikai, and allowing themselves to be monitored, the barrier would disappear and everything would go back to normal—including visits to the living realms.

As an added bonus, one which Kagome had insisted on to the point of threatening the poor prince, with a special compact device, delivered via ferry girl shortly after the negotiations ended, she would be able to cross back and forth between Ningenkai and Meikai. And, should she somehow die—by sudden accident, as Hiei assured her they had very long lives in store—her soul would come to rest in Meikai.

Even knowing, however, that they could reach each other easily, both were reluctant to leave their embrace. Kagome had to return to her shard hunt, which she had been absent from for a couple months and the others, at Inuyasha's insistence, nearly just as long. Hiei knew he was in for a lot of frustration getting Meikai working again. Souls were already lining up to be reincarnation candidates—candidates because they couldn't let them all choose to do whatever they wanted on their own; most of the souls would be gone if that were to happen—and the Makai would experience quite a baby boom. So now they had to deal with whiny souls. He was sure that somewhere Yakumo was laughing at them; centuries had gone by and they still had to clean up after the bastard.

Kagome, cheek on his chest, stirred from her doze. "You know," she smiled faintly, "If I don't get going soon, Inuyasha's gonna come looking for me."

"Let him try."

Kagome's smile deepened and she turned her head so that it was no longer her cheek but her chin resting on his chest, so that she could see his face.

"I love you, Hiei."

She alleviated his boredom. That's what he used to tell himself.

"I love you, too, Kagome."

* * *

AN: Wow, this is my longest oneshot ever! I've been wanting to do a Hiei/Kag take on the Abduction of Persephone for a while—and have been imagining scenes for this fic since early fall 2009j—as it's my favorite myth and these two just work out so well for it.

However, I do have some apologies to make. I had been dreaming about the first half (Hiei watching Kagome) for a few months before writing things down outline-format so I wouldn't forget anything. Then, the April prompts came up for thedeadliestsin and got me off my butt and I started to flesh some things out. But it wasn't until the most recent fanart contest came up on the forum that I got really inspired—it was like pumpkinpeaches1's image came right out of my mind! And with this as my chosen prompt for the fanfic competition, I not only had inspiration, I had a deadline. It was as I was writing that I realized the problem: I only had half the fic thought out, and that just wasn't a finishing point to me. Thus, the second half of the story really just _drags_ a bit. And I really dislike how passively I wrote Kagome-and how undetailed the romance part was. As a writer, and a planner, I really hate that it's not more planned out, and really, there should be twice as many scenes in the second half than there are now. I plan on slowly going back and adding them, but for right now, I need to concentrate on my internship.

Also, sorry about the bad lemon. I don't like writing them for a reason—I'm absolutely horrible at them. Usually I can avoid it, but I ended up writing myself into a corner. However, if anyone really likes writing them, and wants to rewrite this one, I'd welcome it and would love to credit you! Otherwise, at the moment, I'm brainstorming how to write that out.

Other than that, I'm really happy with how this turned out. It definitely needs work, but what fanfic doesn't? Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it!

If you liked this fic, I also recommend:

Goddess of the Spring by PC Cast (book)

Hope Springs Eternal: A Subterranean Romance by Quantum Witch

Hope Enthroned by DustyB


	10. Touch

**Touch**

Summary: When Kagome's hands start twitching, she has no choice but to use them.

"You're just like your father."

Those were the words that Kagome Higurashi had grown up with. She was told that she looked "just like her father", that she smiled "just like her father", that her mannerisms, such as positioning her hand in front of her face to strategically hide her blushing cheeks while brushing away imaginary hair or grasping between her teeth the bottom corner of her lip while she was thinking, was "just like her father."

When she told her mother about the well that first time, her mother had remarked how she always ran toward danger, "just like her father," and as they embraced, she knew her mother was thinking of that last moment they'd had together, when he'd been called away to run toward danger for the last time. In her sense of duty, too, she was "just like her father."

But for all she was told she was "just like her father," Kagome knew that she was very like her mother in many ways.

She was an excellent cook, "just like her mother," despite the fact that Inuyasha almost always refused to eat anything but ramen. She loved deeply, "just like her mother."

And, "just like her mother", she was addicted to touch. And like many addictions, it was the sense of the forbidden that really enraptured her.

Inuyasha had discovered this similarity between mother and child early on, and from his first visit to the Higurashi house, he was subjected to intense ear-rubbing sessions whenever Mrs. Higurashi saw him.

And how many times had Kagome zoned out during one of the fights between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha just imagining how that tail…pelt…thing must feel?

So the current situation didn't really take her by surprise.

His name was Hiei. He was one of the "spirit detectives" assigned to guard her and the Shikon no Tama against the burgeoning population of youkai that were, to her surprise, still alive—just behind a barrier. And what does a youkai do when he crosses the barrier at a point so near to an all-powerful jewel? He goes after it, of course.

Hiei wasn't the friendliest of the four, but he was strong, and silent, and she was pretty sure he never slept. Taking all this into account, she was glad it was him on duty this night as she woke up to the sound of a fight outside her bedroom window. She was halfway down the stairs when she felt Hiei's energy pulse, just like Inuyasha's would when those jagged stripes would appear on his face and he'd get a second wind. As she ran out the door, bow and arrows in hand, she was just in time to see the figure she assumed was Hiei, by his aura, cleave the reptilian youkai in two before collapsing himself. Whether it was in exhaustion or due to injuries, Kagome didn't know, but she ran inside anyways to exchange her weapon for her first aid kit and some food and water. When she returned to the shrine's courtyard, she caught sight of Hiei making his way to the Goshinboku.

Kagome took on a much more sedate pace, allowing him the time to reach the tree, and allowing herself time to study the youkai.

She had seen Hiei several times before—a couple times during the day, but mostly at night or shrouded in some kind of brush or shadows—since Koenma's pronouncement that she needed to be protected. Kagome was very pleased with what she had seen.

Very pleased.

However, though she was curious that first time in Koenma's office, never had her hands begun to twitch as they were now.

This wasn't the first time she had seen green skin on a youkai. She had learned through the years that youkai came in all shapes, colors, and sizes. She had seen green skin on many youkai, but usually it reminded her of mold. And she knew, courtesy of Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga, that many youkai were green on the inside…and even the thought made her want to bathe. This was the first time she had seen a youkai with green skin that simply made her think of forests, of wildness, the danger he contained.

But this anomaly alone was not enough to make her fingers twitch with desire. No, what really attracted her were the eyes scattered over his body. Unlike the eyes he kept uncovered, both crimson, these were more of a lavender, like the one on his forehead, usually covered by a white strip of cloth; though they had glowed crimson as he struck down his opponent. The part of her that had paid attention to high school biology wondered why his body had developed all the eyes. She supposed having eyes…_everywhere_ (she guessed) could come in handy, but—

One of the eyes blinked, and as she gasped, her grip loosening on the items she had brought for him, she was grateful that she was already kneeling. Hiei noticed the hitch in her breath and his already unwelcoming look changed to one of complete disdain.

"Leave, miko," he spat out. "We both know you don't want to be here." His breathing was labored, but he was already beginning to heal and he tried to stand, to get away.

Knowing her opportunity was leaving soon, Kagome nervously shouted, "No!" Then, realizing she had been so loud, Kagome shrank back into herself a bit and brought her voice back to a whisper. "I mean…I…" She ran a hand through her hair in frustration before looking back at him earnestly. "Can I touch them? Please? Your eyes. I won't hurt them will I? Can I? _Please_?"

As realization dawned on him, the expression on his face changed from the previous disdain to confusion to confusion mottled with horror, as if he had looked at her and discovered she was really a bright pink dogopus or something.

He didn't say yes, but he didn't say no, so she took advantage of the opportunity while she could and, feather-light, stroked three fingers over the skin of his arm, watching in fascination as the eyes gently closed, and she felt a gentle vibration as she passed over each eye, like a silent purr; then each reopened as her fingers passed over, following them down the rest of the journey toward his hand.

She stopped just short of his wrist, somehow seeing that—touching his hand—more of an intimate gesture than she was willing at this point. And yet, as she would remember the event in the days to come, it was strange that she couldn't hold his hand, but in sheer fascination, her hands led her almost everywhere else. With her feather-light touch, her hands—the other one wanted in on the action too—stroked over his chest, his back, bringing her body to straddle his, hypnotized by the sight and sensation of the eyes, opening and closing and purring…

…Until Hiei abruptly grabbed her hands, his breathing labored once again, his eyes—the crimson pair on his face—piercing as he said in a rough voice, "I'll be changing back now."

"Oh," she said, despondently. And then Kagome was fully conscious of her surroundings and their current positions, and another thing's current position between her legs…"Oh!"

No sooner had she jumped off him than he had changed back into his more humanoid form, working to compose himself. Where she failed, he succeeded.

She was still blushing, rubbing her hands together nervously and sneaking looks at him when she said, quietly, "Perhaps you should, um, guard me more often."

"Perhaps." He smirked.

Kagome smiled and, before she had time to second guess herself, she raised herself up on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek, running away to the house, stopping only to wave and quietly shout back to him, "Mama's gonna love you!"


	11. Feel

**Feel**

A companion piece to Touch.

Hiei, loathe though he was to admit it, was absolutely exhausted. Really, it was to be expected since their opponent had been a youkai who fought by absorbing his attackers' youki, but this…he'd barely fought and yet he felt as drained as he had after the Dark Tournament.

Not that he was about to tell his teammates.

Not that they would notice anyways, not in the state they were in: of the three of them, Hiei, with his vast reserves of power from the jagan and dragon still mostly intact, though still weak in his humanoid form, had left the battle in the best shape. Kurama, though quicker to heal than a normal human, had fainted from blood loss before they could get to Reikai. Yusuke was holding on out of pure stubbornness. Hiei expected no less.

Unfortunately, going about as if he was perfectly fine had the side effect of Koenma ordering him to relieve Kuwabara, left behind due to injuries from an attack a few days ago, at the shrine. As if to underscore his human fragility, the oaf had fallen asleep on duty, leaving Hiei no other choice than to kick him awake before sending him home. For once, they didn't bicker.

Koenma had started them on guard duty a few months ago. Apparently, the miko was in possession of some kind of all-powerful wish-granting jewel that every youkai out there seemed to want: that was all Koenma told them, and it was more than he wanted to tell, considering all the suspicious sidelong glares he'd sent Hiei's way. Hiei snorted. Like he would sink so low as to steal some twisted bauble to enhance his powers. The only strength he needed was his own. The dragon didn't count: he'd tamed it, he'd earned it. Neither did the jagan: mastering it had been like a rebirth, having to regain his strength. It was nothing like what these weaklings wanted: to simply make a wish and become all-powerful? Fools like that were asking for a messy beheading to get put out of their miserable lives.

It was a task he normally enjoyed, that he normally took his sweet time enjoying. It was just his luck that tonight, of all nights, as he rested on his favorite secluded branch of the huge tree filled with tied prayer papers, slumped in a desperately-needed healing rest, some youkai charged, hissing, out of the forest and towards the miko's window.

With much less grace than usual, Hiei intercepted the lizard, only to be parried by steely scales and acidic spit. He dodged, but it still caught his shoulder. Shit. It would only get worse if he didn't finish the fight quickly, so he pulled out his only wild card. His skin began to turn green, his aura glowing as his ears came to a point and in his mind he could feel the eyes opening all across his body. With a burst of speed granted to him by his majin form, Hiei sprinted to his opponent, thrusting his sword up under the rib cage, pushing searing fire into the blade as he cut through bone and hide to finish him off, both parts of the lizard burning as they fell with satisfying thuds to the ground.

He wrinkled his nose at the foul stench before making his way back to the tree, barely taking notice of the miko as she ran out of the house. Once she'd seen the show was over, she'd go back to sleep. Leave him alone. She slowed, had probably seen the remains of the youkai and would turn around. But she kept going. Toward him.

The closer she got, the more she slowed. Probably disgusted, the urge to run from the storybook monster warring with that _kindness_ she insisted on showing all the time. It was what he expected from a human girl seeing him in this form—it was one of the reasons he avoided it, even though it felt like removing dozens of weights from his youki: he preferred being inconspicuous.

She managed to make it to his side, slowly dropping to her knees, a white box with a red symbol in her hands. First aid. He started to concentrate the miko, seeing that her naïve "let's all be friends" side won out. For now. At least her heart rate was steady, not panicked as he'd thought. That gained a bit of his respect.

And then, with a gasp, she dropped the box; a tube of…something fell out and a roll of bandages began to unroll. He followed her shocked gaze just in time to see one of the eyes on his arm reopen. He waited in the silence for her to leave, repulsed by what she saw, just like he'd expect from any other human. But when she made no motion to go, he narrowed his eyes at her; he wasn't about to be her own private freak show.

"Leave, miko," he spat out. "We both know you don't want to be here." Those two sentences took more out of him than he thought it would. Damn. He concentrated on breathing, on getting up and leaving. His wounds were already healing, he just needed to rest more, rejuvenate his youki. Just one concentrated effort and—

"No!" She had, in a subconsciously desperate way, reached her hand out in a halting motion, as if that gesture could stop him. It did. He was surprised, confused enough to really look at her, see the nervousness, the determination, the innocence on her face as she stammered out, "I mean…I… Can I touch them? Please? Your eyes. I won't hurt them will I? Can I? _Please_?"

His eyes? The eyes that covered his body? He could still see the same blend of emotion and resolve about her, but there was something more: excitement. Not the excitement of arousal, but not quite innocent either. All because of this form, the one he rarely used. It was good in a fight, like a warrior who trained under dozens of pounds of weights only to take them off when that extra speed, extra strength would be useful. And he always put the weights right back on. The majin form was impractical: youkai noticed him more, humans shrieked in terror—hardly what a stealthy assassin like Hiei would want. Nor was it what many a demoness had wanted, shortly after the Jagan's implant, when he couldn't always control when the transformation took hold. And yet this miko…

He was shaken from his thoughts by a feather-light touch on his arm. He relaxed his face from whatever screwed up expression his lapse of attention had allowed and his eyes roamed to his arm.

Three fingers, moving in a slow, sensuous trail down his arm, making a trail like a snake winding around the open eyes, occasionally veering just enough to touch the corner of an eye, which would close in response, before returning to the green path, until she reached his wrist, where she hesitated before moving her hand to his chest to continue the pattern.

Hiei marveled over the fact that, this body, able to take so much pain in a fight without it registering in his mind, was transmitting to him at this moment with such intensity the feather-light touch of Kagome's fingers as they slid across his skin, a burning path of sensation unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

But it was also more than just her touch: it was her energy. It, too, was feather-light, just breaking the surface, but that little bit was coaxing out his youki. Like rubbing two sticks together to make a fire, he could feel himself strengthening…all over, but in one area in particular.

She moved to straddle him, giving herself a better angle to work with as her hand crept lower and lower, the sensations building as she neared his belt, and Hiei surprised himself at what he was contemplating at that moment.

He took a deep breath, gathering his strength, when he smelled it, that same innocent-but-not-innocent excitement, and realized what it meant: the miko wasn't after sex, she was completely locked in her mind with her fascination.

With that knowledge, and maybe a little regret, Hiei grabbed her arms before she could go further: no one could say Hiei wasn't an honorable youkai. She looked at him in confusion as he tried to ignore the lingering, hard sensation. "I'll be changing back now."

"Oh." Confusion to dejection. Hiei sighed. What a strange miko; most of his acquaintances would be thrilled to get away from him. As her body slumped, her hips shifted, and his hard on returned with a vengeance. Her eyes widened and with an "Oh!" of surprise, and maybe a little delight she leapt off his lap.

Before her blush had the chance to fade, he was back to his normal body, hands in his pockets as he smirked at her nervous form. The miko was far more interesting, far more worthy, than he had thought before. She approached him, so that they were close enough to touch, if either of them were to lean toward the other. "Perhaps you should, um, guard me more often."

"Perhaps." Perhaps extra guard duty could give him time to explore the…possibilities.

She flashed him a smile, something he only ever received from Yukina, before she surprised him yet again with a light kiss on the cheek before running off to her house, stopping only to wave and quietly shout back to him, "Mama's gonna love you!"

Hiei's face returned to the same horrified, confused state it had been in only minutes previous. _What is that supposed to mean? _This little miko would be the death of him. _But her touch…I wouldn't mind that._

_

* * *

_

AN: After writing Touch, I really wanted to write the same scene from Hiei's point of view. I also removed the last paragraph from Touch and put it here, since it was in Hiei's voice. Hope you all enjoyed it!_  
_


	12. The Sinners

The Sinners

Summary: One strange relationship. Seven deadly sins.

If anyone ever thought to ask Koenma how those two began their strange relationship, he, being the efficient taskmaster that he was, could sum it up in one word: sloth.

In point of fact, that word could have summed up all of his team of detectives. Lazy bunch, the lot of them, not a one taking his work seriously—only looking at ridding Ningenkai of dangerous youkai as a kind of recreational sport, not any kind of sacred duty. Koenma went out of his way to pardon a couple criminals, grant a couple favors in exchange for their hard work, and what does he get? Complaints, tardiness, backtalk and mocking.

Yusuke was the most vocal of the group, readily—and _loudly_—expressing his displeasure at the thought of putting forth a day's effort, or being interrupted while on a date with Keiko—and really, couldn't that girl understand the world was at stake?

Yusuke was the most vocal, the one who constantly poked and prodded at Koenma's temper—surface temper, that is. It was Hiei who really got under his skin, who constantly undermined his authority in the most audacious ways: ignoring him, making cutting remarks, threatening him with his sword to Koenma's neck.

And then, he began to do the most audacious thing of all: he stopped showing up. Normally, this would have been no problem at all for Koenma, though it would have been quite a large problem for Botan, as his usual method of retrieving a tardy spirit detective (usually Yusuke) was to send her to badger and/or trick said spirit detective into the portal to his office. But Hiei was nowhere to be found.

If it weren't for the fact that the gatekeeping ogres—far more competent than those in his own office, as his father kept the best for himself and gave the castoffs to his son—assured him that the sneaky bastard had not passed through, he would have thought for sure he was dead.

So Hiei was not dead, but he was not in either of the living realms either, and though Koenma knew of several species of youkai that could conceal their own energy that that of others, it was impossible to hide life energy, not from Reikai. But even knowing that it was impossible for youkai to disguise their life energy from the radars of Reikai, Koenma searched—discreetly, lest his overbearing father find out—for days, trying to find reference to such a being…because that would be a far better possibility than the alternative.

It was early hours—before dawn in Ningenkai—when Koenma, fingers frustratedly tapping on his desk, piles of books and notes to his side, conceded that the matter was out of his hands.

To an outsider, it may have appeared as though King Enma and his son Koenma were gods—gods of the afterlife, or perhaps the only gods. And in truth, they had never tried to dissuade the humans and youkai that passed through otherwise; because really, in comparison to them—and in his father's mind—they were gods. But Koenma knew the truth, had known for a long time, remembered whereas his father had chosen to forget. In the hierarchy, they were only a step or two above the ogres and ferry-men and -women who served them. They were daimons, not gods.

The gods were higher beings, creators, concerned with none of the world and all of it. They were not to be bothered with the bureaucratic nonsense that he and his father dealt with daily. Above all, the gods had a plan. Above all, no matter how much power they had allowed Enma to have, there were things that he and his son were unable to control, there were places where their influence was not welcome.

It was all too obvious to Koenma that Hiei had found one of those places, and really, it wasn't all that unexpected to Koenma. These places that were guarded over by the gods were all over the world, most popping up only for a brief time before re-entering his sphere of influence. He'd never really known why these places were chosen—when he was younger, he just thought it was the gods' way of showing off their power, reminding him of his limits by whimsically taking part of the world from him. As he got older, though, a new theory came to mind, a theory about fate, and how parts of fate were cemented in time, and the gods were safeguarding fate—perhaps an even higher power than their own—by placing their protection on certain locations, where certain events were to take place, however small, however brief. And most of these locations were under their sole influence for only brief periods of time. If Hiei had found one of these places, he could have shrugged it off: they were all over Japan, all over the world, and it was only a matter of time before one of his detectives stumbled into one—Yusuke already had.

What bothered Koenma was the fact that most of these places were under the protection of the gods for a matter of days—perhaps a week or two at most. Throughout the world, there were only a few he knew of that were safeguarded for more than a couple weeks, perhaps up to a few months or years, and in Japan there was only one—the oldest one, which had protections placed on it long before the barriers had been erected.

The thought caused chills to creep up and down Koenma's spine. The Higurashi shrine. It had long been a nexus for gathering power, inhabited for centuries by the purest line of miko and houshi, guards of the coveted shikon no tama. Some said that even the land itself had incredible power. It was the kind of place that would discourage any not pure of heart from entering. It was the kind of place, with the kind of safeguards, that would not let any in without some kind of invitation, some kind of indication that they were meant to be there.

And so others might wonder how they met in the first place, might wonder why Hiei would seek out a shrine full of holy energy that surely threatened his existence. Koenma knew the answer: the gods, for whatever reason, saw fit to put those two together. But Koenma knew better than to talk about the gods plans, knew better than to give up his position that the gods had forced him into, probably all according to their plan, according to fate. So, if anyone ever thought to ask Koenma how those two began their strange relationship, he, being the meek servant of the gods that he was, would answer them in one word, the only word he could think of as an alternative to the truth: sloth.

…Of course, no one ever did ask Koenma.

* * *

If anyone were to ask Kurama how they got together, he would look at the enquirer for a moment before, with a sigh and a shrug, he answered: pride. He could have easily answered, "It's a youkai thing," but that would be far too general, to the point of being incorrect, and if there was anything Kurama enjoyed, it was being right. The correct answer would be "It's a Hiei thing," but to understand this statement, one would have to know the mysterious youkai as deeply as Kurama did, deeply enough to know that, however strange and off-putting Hiei may appear to be, the root to most all his actions was pride.

Like Koenma, he'd gotten suspicious when Hiei continued to not show up to debriefings in Reikai. Unlike Koenma, he didn't decide to wait weeks to finally get around to researching the situation: one bright, sunny afternoon, Kurama followed him. It was because of this single instance that, unlike Koenma's conclusion, Kurama had come to the realization that, although it was Hiei's desire to escape the dull meetings that fueled his successful game of hide-and-go-seek, it was pride that started the relationship.

It was that day that he first felt the miko's energy—all at once like raging flames and cool flowing waves, the sensation of it enticing and arousing and wonderful—and it was that day that he saw her string and notch her bow, assumedly to practice against the target on the shed, he thought—until he saw her turn sharply to the left, her arrow leaving the bow and hitting a branch of the large tree, the very same branch where Hiei had been resting, supposedly well hidden from all senses.

The miko, calmly as if she were simply answering a knock on the door, stared down the sword now leveled at her throat and smiled. "Hello, my name is Kagome. Sorry to dislodge you, but after a week of seeing you here without an introduction, I figured it was high time we got introductions out of the way. Knowing you stubborn youkai," she said, sighing, "I knew I would have to be the one to initiate contact. Now, put that sword away and I'll go get us some refreshments and we can talk for a while." Without waiting for him to move, she simply pushed his sword away with a finger—protected by her powers—and practically skipped back to the house, as if death threats from startled youkai were par for the course, perhaps just another way of making friends.

_If only I could see his face…_But really, body language was all he needed. Hiei was still there, like a statue. The happy, potentially dangerous, young woman had gotten the better of him and it had stung his pride. The sting would only go away when he had gotten the better of her. Hiei, Kurama knew, probably saw a rival in the miko—the most powerful one he'd ever encountered—but what Kurama saw was the beginnings of a beautiful relationship. He would watch how things developed, offer advice where he could, and if Hiei chose not to follow it, chose to tell him to keep his nose out of it…

Well, he would just have to take it on as his solemn duty to ensure Hiei, and the miko, did not become victims of pride.

* * *

Someone had, surprisingly, asked Yusuke.

It was after Kagome had been absorbed into their group. Or, as most of the group thought of it, after Kurama had decided to play a game of revenge on Hiei after having a secret—though how he could call it a secret when he knew all along, no one knew—kept from him by forcing the murderous youkai into sharing what he considered his.

Anyways, somewhere along the line, she had ended up at Genkai's place—a scary combination that Yusuke didn't like to think about much, and one that only got more terrifying when Keiko and Shizuru were in the mix. Genkai, a crotchety old hag to the rest of them, doted on Kagome like a long lost daughter and, long story short, Kagome now treated Genkai's shrine like a second home, meaning she would often train there, sleep there, and sometimes even cook. Which brought him to the current situation.

He'd met up with Jin—who, when bored, just _loved_ to visit, bringing his overly cheerful attitude to bother them—just outside the old woman's grounds and the wind youkai was happy to chatter all the way through the woods and up the stairs until they got a good view of the shrine grounds, when he stopped, speechless.

Well, not quite.

"What's up with that?"

_That_ was the sight of Kagome, bento boxes of food—it looked like sushi this time, judging by what she held in her chopsticks, offering it to the youkai across from her—about her so she couldn't possibly move anywhere but forward, facing none other than Hiei who, being offered the sushi roll by the woman leaning towards him on her remaining limbs, leaned forward to take a bite. His face barely moved as he chewed and Kagome bit her lip.

"_Well," _he heard, _"What do you think? Which is better?"_

"_I will have to try the other one again to be sure."_ Even from this distance Yusuke caught the smirk on Hiei's face.

"Dude, you see her all the time, haven't you ever eaten her cooking?"

Yusuke had. She was a woman who loved to cook, and who loved to make sure what she cooked was absolutely perfect. And he was a man who loved to eat. For a while, he had even been her official taste tester. Then, out of the blue, he was replaced. _Here today, gone tomorrow_. He was just surprised that he'd been replaced by Hiei. Until he'd seen that glare leveled right at him.

Others may have thought he was stupid, and he let them believe what they wanted. He didn't want to be the smart one of the group. That was Kurama's job. Really, Yusuke was just a simple man, with simple tastes, and simple desires. Keiko understood that, and even loved him for it, and showed her love for him in simple ways every day.

_The way to a man's heart is through his stomach._

Hiei could pretend all he wanted that he was somehow above humans, above all men in general. Yusuke knew the truth. Like all men, he had to give in to gluttony.

* * *

No one ever asked Kuwabara how they got together, probably because no one ever thought of him as a perceptive love-guru, but every time he looked down to his dainty love, Yukina, he knew the answer, and he wasn't scared to shout it to the world, to the youkai himself: envy.

The pipsqueak was jealous of him—him and his relationship with his sister.

Sure, the others thought that he was oblivious, but he had ears; and more importantly, he had the strongest spiritual senses of all of them. He'd thought it was really creepy at first, how Hiei was constantly around his sweet apparition, like some crazy, obsessed stalker. Even though Kuwabara was also constantly around Yukina, it was completely different—he did it right out in the open, no need to watch from the trees. In any case, as long as he didn't try to come between them, he didn't really care since he was so far ahead in the race for Yukina's love.

Then one day, when Yukina had finally managed to get Hiei off his tree branch and share a pot of tea with her and Genkai—because Yukina was a wonderfully caring person like that, to go so far as to offer hospitality to a dangerous head case—he'd noticed something: their youki was almost exactly the same. Everything made sense then.

Hiei wasn't a rival (not that Kuwabara was _worried_ or anything), he was just an overprotective brother—just like Kuwabara himself would have been with Shizuru if she hadn't been the one to teach him to kick ass (and could still take him).

Hiei still wasn't his favorite person, but it made him feel a bit more respect: they were both interested in protecting Yukina, in their own ways, so it would be better to work together. Not that he was about to let the little guy know it. But he would make sure that he knew his little sis was safe and happy with Kazuma Kuwabara by showering her with love and affection and vowing to one day defeat Hiei in a fair fight. And on the day he did that, he was sure to get the shrimp's permission to marry his sister.

Obviously, he saw now, his plan was working better than he thought: not only was Yukina finally seeing they were meant to be together, but somehow, after watching them for so long, their affection had somehow changed Hiei—and really, who wouldn't want the same kind of love that he and Yukina shared?

They were a little awkward with each other, but in a comfortable sort of way. It was just a weird relationship—total opposites. Sometimes they would talk—well, she would talk and Hiei would pretend he wasn't listening or "Hn" or something, but Kuwabara could see that he was absorbing every word and motion—and sometimes they would just be silent, and sometimes they would fight, and then disappear for a while and show up again together, like the fight had never happened. It was weird, but it worked for them.

Like he said many times before, Kuwabara didn't really like Hiei all that much, but even he deserved happiness, and Kagome definitely did (though he didn't really get what she saw in a guy like Hiei), and if it was envy of Yukina's relationship with him that made Hiei act, then he was happy to help.

* * *

If anyone were to ask Youko why they stayed together, he would have turned his stunning smile, his alluring eyes, on the inquirer and, if they were still focused enough to hear his voice answer in a tone designed to seduce, they would have heard him say: lust.

The two were like yin and yang: complete opposites making for an explosive combination. He'd known it from the beginning, when he'd caught his first glimpse of the pair through his host's eyes. That level of physical attraction could not escape the eyes of a kitsune as old and…sensual as Youko Kurama.

He knew about lust, the need to be near that one person, the need to touch them, the need to hear them scream his name in a fit of passion…! It was a pity his host was such a prude. If it had been up to Youko, he would have begun watching outside her window weeks ago in preparation for the inevitable night, when neither could resists the other any longer. His human side insisted that voyeurism, without the consent of all parties, could be considered a crime, or at the very least unethical. When he'd pointed out that, for a kitsune, voyeurism was simply another form of nourishment—not preferable, but acceptable—and that their power could increase phenomenally from absorbing the energy produced by such a union, the inner human had turned to the inner youkai, eyebrow raised, and pointed out quite calmly and decisively that, if Hiei were to catch them, he would kill them. Or lop off that certain favored part of their anatomy. Or both.

And, out of modesty of course, Kagome would probably purify them for good measure.

His human side really was no fun, but he had no choice.

And that's how he ended up seeing only the end results of Hiei's seduction of the miko: the tousled hair, the glow of contentment, the slight mixing of auras, and a slight scent of sex that would remain for a short time for all with youkai olfactory senses, no matter how many baths Kagome took. From all this, Youko could tell that, despite his doubts of Hiei's expertise in this area (given his general demeanor), Hiei had done quite admirably. The youkai had successfully seduced a miko, their natural enemy, and left her—figuratively, at least, as he was sitting down at the dining table waiting for her to make breakfast—wanting more.

Yes, it was obvious to Youko that it was pure pure sexual chemistry, pure lust, that kept them together. But then, for Youko everything was lust.

* * *

Usually, no one ever asked Botan anything. She outright told them without any provocation. That is, after all, how gossiping works. But unlike some of her fellow gossipers, she was one of the smart ones. She knew exactly what to say and when to say it to have the most dramatic effects to liven up their mostly humdrum lives. And she knew how to keep her mouth closed when the subject was too dangerous—or had talents in mind reading and body hiding. But that didn't mean she didn't tell herself this piece of news over and over again in her own mind: Hiei was only attracted to that powerful priestess out of his own greed.

Botan, ever since being promoted to her liaison position between Koenma and his team of spirit detectives, had gotten used to playing truant officer. This particular duty could leave her with many different emotional states depending on the situation: frustrated bemusement when Yusuke or Kuwabara overslept past the starting time of one of Koenma's meetings, to sadistic satisfaction upon retrieving one of the team when they tried in vain to hide from her, to guilt when she, all too often, had to interrupt Keiko's time with Yusuke.

This time though, the lack of this particular duty left her with what was surprisingly the greatest emotion of all: relief. It was a feeling that made its presence known not only in the lightening of her mind, but a complete renewal of her body.

It was part of her duties as liaison to fetch the detectives. She had even fetched Kurama a time or two. Never had she been told to fetch Hiei. Never did she want to. After all, Koenma may have thought that he had the youkai tamed on a short leash, but she was under no such illusions. He may have some sense of loyalty to Kurama and Yusuke, and perhaps to Kuwabara as well, but he held no love for those who dwelled in Reikai. Once he was off his leash, there was no doubt in her mind that he would return to his thieving, murdering ways.

_Even with the leash firmly attached, look at what's happening_.

Koenma may have despaired the fact that he, for whatever reason, could not touch the two, but he never was the sort for field work, the Dark Tournament being a surprising exception. As a gossip though, such work—spying—came naturally to her. So after Koenma had shared his findings with the ferrygirl, he had isolated himself in an anxious slump, and she had taken her oar and hidden behind a cloud bank and watched, watched for so long in fact that she was beginning to feel a bit oar sore.

Kagome Higurashi's file had said little, just that she was a notably powerful miko in this day and age and in charge of Higurashi shrine. The question was, what about her held Hiei's attention? What did she have to offer him?

It took her days to realize the answer was right in front of her, in the form of a gift store on the shrine grounds: Kagome Higurashi, of Higurashi Shrine—the shrine family that housed the legend of the shikon no tama, an all-powerful jewel capable of granting the wish of any who possessed it…The jewel whose location was lost to all…save for the Higurashi lineage.

Hiei had his eyes on a treasure, and he had just found the treasure map.

That certainly explained all she had seen—that look in Hiei's eyes whenever he saw Kagome, the sometimes-soft-sometimes-passionate kisses and caresses that made the miko smile, his willingness to help her with the chores and repairs: it was all some ploy to seduce the miko to give up the location of the jewel!

Her face contorted in disgust of the thought of the youkai corrupting one so pure for the sake of power, for the sake of wealth, for the sake of another bauble to add to his hoard of treasure he surely had in Makai. And if he managed to get a miko in the process, that would just better his status in front of all the other youkai, wouldn't it?

She turned her oar around back to Reikai, unable to watch the miko's downfall any more. Hiei's greed truly knew no bounds.

* * *

When news of their relationship reached Genkai—through none other than Kagome herself—for the longest time, all she could do was smirk. She could only imagine the thoughts going through the others' heads about how this could have happened, how that sinful youkai could have corrupted the innocent, well-meaning miko. But Genkai knew the truth, knew she and Kagome were very much alike; it was part of the reason mentor and student got on so well: they understood each other. And so while the others blamed Hiei's sins (the arguments for which she couldn't quite disagree with) for Kagome's "fall from grace", Genkai knew something they did not: Kagome was far from the innocent miko they thought of her as, but at the forefront of the list of her sins, there was one that screamed out and constantly broke free.

Wrath.

As alien an idea as it might seem to those outside their profession, it was only the strongest of miko who could exhibit such will, such anger—and accept it as part of themselves. For a miko to have great power but not the force of will to control it, to prevent herself from being controlled by others was something that Genkai could only pray never happened. That Kagome was able to accept her hatred of Kikyo and not let it control her was only one of many signs that she was destined for greatness.

However this same characteristic that indicated great power was also something that caused great isolation for the miko. It was possible for such a miko to have close friends, but near impossible for her to find love: what human could possibly withstand her wrath? What youkai could truly love the miko and not just her power?

Genkai had been one of the lucky ones, many years ago, when she had found Toguro. To find someone who could accept her wrath as an expression of love, and give as good as it got, adding to the passion…it was the happiest time of her life. And then Kairen came, and the Dark Tournament warped both of the brothers.

Kagome, she hoped, would be one of the lucky ones too; with any luck, much luckier than Genkai. Hiei, for all his roughness and faults and…past transgressions…was a good man. He sought power, but saw leaning on the power of others as weak; and yet, he was able to love, in his own way, as she'd seen with his treatment of his sister. And Kagome herself…well, nothing really need to be said about her pupil. The girl was a force of nature, with far more to her than most could see, not unless they too carried wrath around with them like a walking stick, there to support them.

Her thoughts were interrupted by raised voices—well, a raised voice—outside. They were fighting again, though fighting really wasn't the right word for it; they enjoyed their verbal sparring matches far too much: the witty back and forth, escalating into yelling, then physical motions to illustrate the point, and sometimes from there moving into a physical fight, only to vanish elsewhere to…kiss and make up.

Genkai smiled as memories flickered in her mind.

If wrath was a sin, then miko were the greatest sinners of all.

* * *

Kagome stretched languidly in bed, just on the brink of sleep. Her body was exhausted from pleasure, but her mind was slowing down from its mental race. It had been so difficult to get Hiei out of his shell, to seduce him to this point, but she had been tired of seeing all the happy couples surrounding her, and had wanted him—all of him—from the very beginning, when she first spotted him in the Goshinboku, and it was definitely worth it. Though she was a bit sore; perhaps she shouldn't have baited Hiei by suggesting he couldn't go another round. _No, _her mind supplied. Her eyes scanned the room, smiling at the overturned bowls of cut strawberries and homemade whipped cream—just barely lit by the small beams of moonlight that made it through the tree branches in front of her window—that were to be the topping for her freshly made angel food cake. She smiled at the irony. She couldn't quite remember what the argument had been about, but the resulting make-up sex had been perfectly sinful.

* * *

AN: This was written for The Deadliest Sin's Seven Deadly Sins fanfic competition (won third place! yay!). It'll be getting a major facelift in the future since, while I was writing it, RL got in the way and it's not yet where I want it to be. But since I have no idea when in the future I'll get around to this one, I decided to post it. As it is, I'm pretty darn pleased with it, but there's a lot I want to add. Hope you all enjoyed it!


	13. It's Tradition!

Summary: It's up to Kagome to uphold her family's Christmas traditions, but Hiei has something to say about it.

AN: Sorry it's a bit after the holidays; it was one of my entries for The Deadliest Sin's (link on profile) Ringing in the Holidays fanfic/art competition. There's going to be another competition soon, if any authors/artists are interested.

**It's Tradition!**

Hiei didn't ask Kagome why she insisted he go out into the forest to cut down a tree and haul it back into her family's house.

Nor did he ask why she insisted on making it sparkle with baubles and strands of multi-colored lights from boxes in the attic.

Nor did he ask why she insisted on hanging from hooks embroidered stockings, none of which looked up to the task they were named for.

When he did ask, it was while she was on a step ladder, leaning precariously against the wall as she tried to attach a bit of greenery tied with a string to a hook she had nailed in above one of the entryways to the living room, where the sparkling tree resided.

"Why are you hanging a poisonous plant in your home?" He'd asked, eyebrow raised, wondering at her education as a miko if her teacher didn't even bother teaching the basics of herbology.

"Because, Hiei," she said, now done with the task and climbing down. Standing in the entryway, she leaned over and kissed him. "It's tradition."

Then she disappeared quickly to begin her next inane task.

Hiei blamed the mother. Kagome would hate him if he said it, but it was true. It was the mother's fault that Kagome was running herself ragged…and ignoring him.

Her mother had gotten sick a few days ago—not sick enough that Hiei sensed death about her, but sick enough that she was relegated to bed by the doctor, leaving Kagome to take care of her, keep her grandfather from giving her one of his 'remedies', make sure her brother stayed out of the kitchen (he had been banned from all but the refrigerator and microwave years before Hiei came along), and in between all of this, mutter about 'Christmas' and 'tradition' and run about doing strange things…like hanging poisonous plants all about the house. Though, if it resulted in kisses, the only bit of attention he'd received from her in days (other than ordering him about), he wasn't going to complain too much about that one.

Most things didn't end in kisses, though. Usually everything ended with Kagome shooing Hiei away. Especially from the kitchen. He didn't understand: she was cooking almost nonstop, and yet when he went for a taste (which she usually beamed at him for, as she loved to feed people) she scolded him! And why? "Tradition!"

It was when Kagome left, with the caroling group her mother apparently led every year, that he noticed the excess candles left by the carolers, and a plan hatched in his mind to rid Kagome of her madness.

Kagome returned a little over an hour later, too exhausted to even hang her coat properly, but with a huge mental list of things left to do. It was as she passed the stairs that she was re-energized, with anger.

There was a candle there, on the first stair, lit and burning brightly, with no one to watch it: a potential fire hazard! And there, just a few stairs up was another! And another!

One by one, she blew them out, collecting them so as to reduce the mess and prevent any tripping—and emergency room visits—in the morning. She was relieved that the candles ran out at the top of the stairs. However, she began to develop a tick when she noticed that, leading to her bedroom door, there were sprigs of mistletoe, tied with string—the same ones she had labored to set up just two days ago!

_Hiei,_ she thought angrily, stomping toward her room, slamming open her door, determined to give the youkai a piece of her—

"Oh, my."

—mind.

He was there, sprawled on her bed, lit by globed of floating fire, naked except for the bushels of mistletoe surrounding him. He looked like some kind of pagan deity, a god of fertility. Her mind blanked in lust for a moment as the image was only intensified with his smirk. He held out his hand, not saying anything; he didn't need to; his message was loud and clear.

She began to move forward, one step, two, then stopped, remembering her responsibilities. "But Hiei, I can't, I still have presents to wrap, and baking to finish, and—"

"Why?"

"It's tradition!" she exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Mom can't do it this year, so I need to make sure everything's perfect!"

"Well, I think it's time we start a new tradition," he said. He rose from the bed, the mistletoe tumbling off of him, revealing his immaculate body, glowing darkly in the firelight. As his grin became even more licentious, she could only guess what he had in mind.

"But—"

He put a finger to her lips, his other hand sliding around her back, finding her zipper. "I found the ribbon. I do hope I don't have to tie you up to unwrap the rest of you."

"N-no." _Although, _said a voice in the back of her mind, _maybe another time._ He was already slipping her out of her dress, and at this point, she really didn't want to stop. "I guess everything else can wait til tomorrow."

As he led her back to the bed, she missed his smirk. If Hiei had his way—and he definitely intended to have his way—she wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow.


	14. Obon

Summary: It was the day they remembered their ancestors.

AN: My second entry for The Deadliest Sin's Ringing in the Holidays competition. Not very winter-y, since it takes place in July/August (depending on location in Japan), but since one of the prompts was 'holiday memories', it was one I felt appropriate.

**Obon**

He knew she could sense him. Kagome had proven herself to be an exceptionally powerful miko, and Hiei expected no less. Yet, the fact of the matter remained that he had been standing against the torii at the top of the shrine for nearly an hour and she hadn't even twitched to acknowledge his presence.

He had come shortly after breakfast, the same time he always did when Koenma didn't have a job for him. At that time in the morning, she was always doing chores around the shrine, or practicing her archery, or reading, and when he made his appearance, she would look up from whatever she was doing and turn her bright smile on him. Despite himself, it was something he had come to look forward to, and it was something he missed today as her back remained facing him as she, kneeling, faced the Goshinboku.

They were all doing it—Kagome, her mother and annoying grandfather, and her brother. They were in a row facing that tree, a hint of fire at the edges of his senses accompanied by a scent—incense.

The brother was the first one to stand, giving a quick bow before rushing back into the house just long enough to grab a backpack weighed down with books—Hiei remembered something Kagome had said about college entrance exams—and a bento box. When he saw Hiei leaning against the torii, arms crossed and expression blank as usual, watching the remaining three, he slowed.

"It's Obon," he said by way of explanation. He paused, looked to Kagome and back to him. "If you're waiting for my sister, you might want to just come back tomorrow. This is…a very important day to her." Then he glanced down at his watch before waving a quick goodbye as he began to run down the steps.

An hour later, he had made himself comfortable at the top of the torii. The mother was the next to relax her position, though she didn't get up. She waited a little longer until the old man seemed to be done with whatever they were doing and helped him get up and walk back to the house. A few minutes later he began to hear the chopping and the clicking of the stove that he associated with cooking.

It was when they left though that he saw the first change in Kagome. The stick of incense was almost burned out, but rather than stop whatever she was doing or light another one, without changing her position, he saw her separate a piece of her miko energy, active like a fire, and place it in a bowl in front of her. It was with this practice that a change overtook her: whereas before she had been in meditation, he could tell now that she was in a trance.

He watched her for a while, curious, but not curious enough to try to intrude on her thoughts. Not that he was likely to succeed anyways: he was sure that, even in a trance, her mind would be carefully guarded. The sun was high in the sky when he caught a motion out of the corner of his eye. The mother was waving at him, motioning for him to enter the house. He sighed. The brother was right; he didn't need to stay here right now, she was too wrapped up in her thoughts.

When he entered the kitchen, his nose was assaulted with the smell of lunch—the lunch that had never been cleaned up, as he learned when the mother lead him to a chair and began to fill a plate with food. "I'm sorry you had to wait, Hiei," she said. He shrugged: he hadn't expected it, so he didn't mind the wait. "But I know youkai don't appreciate my father's…eccentricities." Hiei truly didn't mind now. "He's taking a nap, so we shouldn't be interrupted."

Hiei raised his brow at that, though he didn't stop the chopsticks from reaching his mouth. A youkai's diet was different from that of a human, and the food that Kagome and her mother made were like foreign delicacies for him. He watched as she poured tea into two cups and returned to the table, setting one by him and holding the other in her hands, with no obvious inclination to drink it. They'd been in the same room together, the same table, conversed with each other, but always with Kagome present.

"I suppose Souta told you what today is?" she began.

"Obon. A Buddhist holiday to commemorate the dead." His tone held a question. He hadn't spent so much time with Kurama only to come away with nothing.

She smiled, just a bit. "Yes, I suppose it is strange, for members of a Shinto shrine to be holding a ceremony that is traditionally Buddhist, even privately. Years ago, we didn't conduct the ceremony on shrine grounds—we would visit a nearby Buddhist shrine for the rites, visit the cemetery where my mother and husband are buried…" She looked down into her cup, the steam slowly dissipating. "But my father has gotten old, and it's become harder and harder for him to move, so we began having a private ceremony here. And then Kagome came home. For the last time." She looked into his eyes and he could see the shine of tears in hers and he hoped that she wouldn't start crying. He could barely handle Kagome when she was like that; he didn't know how he'd take care of her mother.

He needn't have worried, though; she composed herself quickly. "I assume, as her suitor, that you know of her time in the past?" He nodded. "Then I'm sure you know of the horrors she faced—perhaps more than I do; and I'm sure you know of all the people she met, and had to leave behind, and…bury."

Hiei knew. Not so much from Kagome's stories—she concentrated on the happy times, not so much on the wars that he knew had gone on then; he knew older youkai who bragged about being alive back then, who loved to talk of the battlefields and how easy the humans were to trick and slaughter back then; he knew the human side from Kurama. But he knew from Kagome of all the people—youkai and human and hanyou—she had befriended, because she made getting into her heart so easy back then; it was one of her strengths, to gather people to her side. She never spoke of having to say goodbye to them, though as every story came to an end, there was always a hint of sadness.

"Her first love—" _Inuyasha, _his memory supplied "—she buried him beneath the Goshinboku, shortly after the final battle. The first few months, she was so sad, a shadow of the daughter I'd known all her life, crying all the time…" A pause, as she took her first sip, allowing her thoughts to settle. "And then, Obon came, and she kneeled in front of the Goshinboku and it was like all her grief came out at once. The next day," she said, almost baffled, "she woke up like a completely new person, ready to start her life again! It was…such a relief. For a while, Obon was the only day she'd allow herself to truly grieve for her lost friends, her lost love. But these last couple of years…she seems truly at piece. She doesn't walk around like she lost a part of herself. I'm truly happy you met her when you did, Hiei, when she could give you all of herself. You deserve each other, and all the happiness you'll bring to each other."

The quiet, "Thank you," came out unplanned, but heartfelt.

She reached over to touch his hand, in what he imagined was a motherly way. "Obon is a special time for us. It is a time to remember family and friends, loved ones who we hope to see again one day. I would like it—and I'm sure Kagome would too—if you would come with us, when we light lanterns and set them afloat tonight. It's how we say goodbye to the souls of our loved ones each year."

"If it's for family—" he began, meaning to decline her polite invitation.

"You're family, Hiei." Her tone was gentle, but allowed for no argument.

The night was warm, but not overly so. It helped that the family used a more secluded, small creek nearby the shrine grounds leading to the ocean, used by only the few families living nearby, rather than one of the larger gathering places used by most of the population. A line of lit paper lanterns floated down the river, and as other families lit and laid the lanterns on the water, they would stay for a short while, watching it, before leaving, smiling faintly.

Kagome and her family approached the river and, helping the old man, knelt on the bank. Their mother took out a box of matches, struck one and lit her lamp before handing the box to her father to repeat the process. That done, the mother leaned towards the old man and helped him set the lantern on the water and set it adrift. She then picked up the first lantern and, with Kagome and her brother holding onto it on either side of her, set it, too, adrift. They said a short prayer before three stood up and left the riverbank, Kagome's mother giving Hiei a pointed look as she passed.

With the rest of them gone, he joined the miko on the riverbank, standing beside her as she stared at the blue flame-like piece of her power resting in the palms of her hands.

"This is where I say goodbye again," she said in a tone of voice that was quiet, but not sad. She went back to staring at the blue fire in her hands, and Hiei waited beside her, staring across to the opposite bank, hands in his pockets, not sure if he should stay, but also remembering that look in her mother gave him.

"I used to cry over a handful of burning incense," she said suddenly, bringing his attention back to her, "and launch as many lanterns as I could at night, trying to feel some semblance of peace. I never did, not really. Time cleaned the salt out of the wounds, but it never changed the fact that I was wounded. Metaphorically, of course. And physically. Then, one year, as I cried over the incense, Miroku's voice came into my head, something he'd said before, when the jewel was almost complete: 'You're the core of our group, the flame that lures the moth. Your inner fire gives us the strength to go on when all hope seems lost, and as long as you are alive, we will always be together, no matter how far apart.'" She smiled lightly, shaking her head. "Inuyasha was my first love; Sango female friend I had craved all my life; Shippou was like another brother to me, and Kirara a close companion; but Miroku was my closest friend and confidant. He understood what it was like to be bound by duty and not revenge, he understood my powers as they began to grow and change, and…he understood the fear of leaving people behind." A few tears escaped her eyes, falling into the flame, making it shine brighter. "It may sound crazy, but, that night, the first time I used my powers to form a flame, I felt his presence, I could feel his smile, and for the first time, in a very, very long time, I felt at peace. The next year, I could feel their presence all around me, their love, their acceptance, their pride and peace and joy. For one day a year, we are united by my flame. For one day a year, I can honor them and their contributions to my life by giving them a piece of myself. For the rest of the year, I honor them by allowing myself to live again…to love again," she finished shyly, looking up at Hiei. His face softened and her aura brightened at the show of affection. Having said all that she wanted to say, she wordlessly set her ball of flame on the water, not pushing it out, but allowing it to slowly find its way to the current.

As he watched, his thoughts turned inward. He knew the fire was for her friends, but he knew that it was also for most everyone she had met in the past, those who had been lost to the jewel, or lost to time; it was a mourning he didn't understand. Hiei had been shaped by death from birth, born with a death sentence and led to kill to survive, and later, because he enjoyed it. He couldn't recall one acquaintance he'd lost or one living being he'd killed that he'd mourned or regretted.

There was one person, though, in the back of his mind, someone he had never met, but had never left his thoughts. He kneeled down beside the miko, surprising her as he formed a ball of fire in his hand. He looked at it for a moment, as if questioning his sanity, acknowledging that this moment, however small, represented a change in himself. As he set the ball down into the river and pushed it mentally to catch up with hers, he answered the question on her face.

"For my mother."

Content in each others' embrace, they sat on the riverbank for a long time after their fires were out of sight.

The two balls of flame floated together down the river, one orange, one blue, without the assistance of wooden lanterns. Further down, people would see them and wonder at the spectacle. What were these strange flames? Were these truly the spirits of visiting ancestors, returning to the afterlife after their daylong visit? Were they simply the remains of lanterns that had caught fire?

Whatever their conclusions, those who saw those two balls of flame that night could only look on with a sense of wonder as the farewell flames lazily made their way out to sea.


	15. Of Youkai and Old Men

Of Youkai and Old Men

Summary: A story of the age-old rivalry over the girl.

AN: Setsubun generally always precedes Lunar New Year, but for the sake of comedy, I've switched them around.

Hiei glared at the house standing awkwardly to one side of the shrine grounds. More specifically, he glared at the old man who resided in the house, surely gloating to himself at this very moment, like a wily old dragon protecting his treasure from outside eyes.

The old man had hated Hiei at first sight. For once, Hiei had taken the high ground, if only for Kagome's sake. He had kept an open mind.

He hadn't hated the old man until the fool had gone and pasted an ofuda on his forehead, not five seconds after Hiei had entered his line of sight. Kagome called him "traditional". Hiei knew better than to tell her what he thought.

And thus the rivalry began between Kagome's grandfather, the priest, and her boyfriend, the youkai, with Kagome constantly trying to act as referee between the two, and her mother and brother acting as the cheering crowd—and, occasionally, hecklers.

So far, even with his rival plotting against him with everything from ofuda plastered over the entire shrine complex (forcing Kagome to stay home to remove them all) to faking his near-death (forcing Kagome to remain home for the time it took her to diagnose him), Hiei had remained smug because, despite all diversions, with the ultimate prize of their rivalry, Kagome, on his side, how could he lose?

That was his general impression up until a couple weeks ago when Kagome explained that her adorably "traditional" grandfather had decided that they should adhere to the strictest guidelines of Lunar New Year. Then she had gone on to explain that this meant he would not be allowed to visit for two weeks.

He had underestimated his opponent.

Just because he couldn't speak to her didn't mean he couldn't visit the shrine, at a discrete distance, of course. He wasn't about to give the old man a reason to gloat, or attack.

And so he watched as the entire family cleaned every inch of the house, and then the rest of the shrine grounds. Watched as they exchanged gifts and envelopes, and prayed to the gods. Smelled the aroma of the delicious home-cooked meals that Kagome would usually make for him; but not now.

He had waited patiently, but today was the sixteenth day. The old man couldn't hold his granddaughter captive much longer. Just one final bit of pointless ritual before Kagome was his again. He stood this afternoon not on his usual perch hidden in the branches and leaves of the Goshinboku, but instead on the _torii_ at the top of the stairs, upwind of the scent of the rotting sardines that hung from every structure on the complex. It was no wonder the tradition began; the smell must have been bad enough for humans, so of course it would keep youkai away. Together with the sound of drums blasting from the speakers in the center of the shrine, Hiei normally would have had no problem leaving the shrine and its crazy inhabitant alone. But today, that would be accepting defeat.

He nearly sighed in relief when he saw movement near the doors. Her mother and brother opened the kitchen door, and Kagome and her grandfather opened the front door, facing him. Reaching into baskets at their sides, each pair reached in and threw handfuls of beans outside, shouting, "Oni wa Soto! Fuku wa uchi!" The old man was throwing them especially far, in Hiei's direction.

He snorted. "Ogre be gone" his ass.

Baskets emptied, the family bent down to begin picking up the beans. Kagome had said they were to eat the same number as their age to ensure good luck. In the back of the house, their usual audience was hurrying; neither wanted to miss the show. Not that they could, in Hiei's opinion. Even as they were jogging to the front of the house, the old man was putting on a show of age, bending down slowly to pick up each bean, one by one. When Kagome offered to help him, he brushed her off, insisting that he do it himself, else his good luck disappeared.

_If he doesn't hurry up, his good luck will disappear regardless._

On the sidelines, Souta was full-out laughing and their mother was hiding a smile behind her hand. Hiei wondered what they did for entertainment before he came along.

It felt like an eternity as the old man counted, but he could finally see the light at the end, just as he was beginning to realize that it was in fact possible for his eyes to begin to ache from glaring. "Eighty-four…eighty-five…eighty-si—oops, I dropped it!"

Annoyed, and wanting nothing more than this farce to end, Hiei dropped down, snatched the bean from the ground and dropped it into the old man's hand. It took his rival just a split second—much faster than he could ever have expected—to acknowledge this and formulate a plan.

"Ah!" He jerked, spilling all the beans, forcing the mother muffle her laughter. "You scared me! Now, I'll have to start all over again." The only part that was off about the act was the ring of delight in his voice.

Fed up, and not caring what Kagome thought at this point, Hiei, using the speed he was known for, picked up the eighty-six beans in one hand, then reached out his other to grasp the old man's clenched fist. He leaned in menacingly. "If you don't take these, old man, and yield quietly, no amount of beans or rotting fish heads will save you from my wrath."

The stubborn family patriarch returned the glare for just a second before reluctantly opening his hand. Hiei deposited the beans there and let go, allowing the man to retreat with some of his dignity intact.

With him out of the way, Kagome rushed up to Hiei and, instead of his cheek being met with her hand in one of the slaps she was so good at to punish him for a threat to a member of her family—granted, the most annoying one—it was met with her lips.

She stepped back, smiling. "You're so sweet when you're jealous." She took his hand when he remained quiet, still not quite sure how to respond. "Now come on, I'm craving a burger. I really need something I can sink my teeth into." He allowed her to pull him along for a few steps before smirking and lifting her up, taking them away from the shrine at a speed only he could reach.

Souta looked on, watching his sister and his favorite source of entertainment race away like their lives depended on it…or maybe just their sanity. He turned to the source of their frayed nerves, just inside the house, arms crossed and still glaring into the distance, very unlike the delighted demeanor he'd taken on for the Lunar New Year celebrations he'd suddenly decided they needed to observe in full.

"Come on, gramps. They're already mated, it's not like you can prevent them from getting married or anything," he joked. His cell phone rang and he left to finally see his friends, so he missed the gleam that appeared in his grandfather's eyes at his comment.

But Mrs. Higurashi didn't.

_Hmm…I wonder what sake we should have at the wedding…and of course Kagome and I will need to go shopping once she wears father down…And I wonder if Hiei has anything else to wear? So much to do!_ She looked over at her father, noting the calculating look in his eyes and his slight smirk. _But at least I'll have quite a long time to work on it. _


	16. The Fifteenth Day

**The Fifteenth Day**

(A Lunar New Year tradition)

With a sigh, she looked down at the orange in her hand, the orange that she had been lucky enough to pick up off the sidewalk after it had fallen out of another girl's grocery bag, the girl hadn't turned around at her shouting. She envied girls like that, girls who were running to catch up with their friends, not running to get to places faster, running to make more time to study…running away from monsters.

Kagome Higurashi did not have time for friends. Kagome Higurashi could not afford to waste time simply "hanging out" in the park, or WacDonald's, or anyone's house. Kagome Higurashi had no time for love. Kagome Higurashi did not have time to work. Kagome Higurashi barely had time to sleep. All Kagome Higurashi had time for was to study, study, study. All Kagome Higurashi had time for was to fight, fight, fight. All Kagome Higurashi had time for was to pray, pray, pray that all her studying paid off, that she lived through each battle.

This time of year, girls usually gave chocolate to their love interests, and to their friends and family. She'd absently noticed the chocolate mania last time she'd gone shopping to restock her bag of supplies. But those girls who didn't have anyone special in mind had another tradition. If she hadn't alienated her friends so long ago, she imagined she'd have been standing here with them, giggling. If they had been here earlier tonight, she didn't know. She had arrived here later than most others, out of breath from running, just in time to borrow a marker from one of the remaining groups of girls.

She looked down at the orange in her hands, then tossed it into the lazy river.

Apparently, Kagome Higurashi had time for a moment of whimsy.

The men usually arrived a little later than the women, as the oranges took a while to travel downstream to the usual spot. The group of spirit detectives arrived later than most because Hiei was…well, being Hiei. Judging by the glare, he certainly didn't appreciate being bound and gagged by Kurama's most fire-resistant youkai plants.

His foul mood didn't stop the others from cheering as the last of the oranges bobbed in the slow current of the river and were retrieved by the few men remaining. Kuwabara, the most spirited by the event, rushed into the river to retrieve an orange, followed by Yusuke, while Kurama waited patiently by the bank for his. By the time they'd all gotten theirs, the riverbank was empty, as was the river.

Yusuke looked around. "Man, I don't know why we brought Hiei. Even if there had been another one, it's not like he would have cared. Would've been more for us."

"That's no way to treat a lady, Urameshi!"

"Whatever."

"Don't make assumptions so quickly, you two," Kurama interrupted. He pointed upriver, where a single orange was floating towards them. He reached into his hair for a seed to form his vine whip, using it to catch the orange fruit. He held it for a moment before placing it by Hiei, still bound and gagged and ignoring them all.

Kurama looked pointedly at his other two teammates, who shrugged, and guided them away from the riverbank.

When Hiei sensed they were at least a couple miles away, he felt the vines loosen. Given the choice between dealing with them all again and continuing to ignore them all, he chose the latter.

He looked at the orange Kurama had left to him. It was just like the others, a fruit with a series of numbers written in black ink on it, but when he picked it up, he felt a tingle of energy. Like a caress and a homing beacon all in one, it was more useful to him than a phone number. Not one to let anything go to waste, he peeled the fruit and bit into it.

It was sweet.

AN: Inspired by a tradition from Malaysia and Singapore. Takes place on the fifteenth day of Lunar New Year. According to Wikipedia: "The taste is an indication of their possible love: sweet represents a good fate while sour represents a bad fate."


	17. A Moment in Time

AN: this was my entry for The Deadliest Sin's Big Bang challenge. Sayurinakamura made a wonderful video to accompany it: www. youtube. com/ watch?v= pzZal1omx-U &feature= player_embedded . Some of you may also catch some Doctor Who references :)

A Moment in Time

The Makai Barrier was the single greatest feat of ingenuity and power that the forces of Reikai had ever put forth.

From the time it was a spark in Lord Enma's mind to the time that the final plans were tested and approved, already two centuries had passed—a blink in the life of the immortals in Reikai, but in the meantime, the mortal realms were falling into turmoil. And that was something King Enma simply did not approve of. So, while his engineers went to work on the problem of separating the humans and the youkai, he had his magicians and spiritualists at work slowly siphoning off the energies of miko, and completely incorporating them into the barrier when they died. He and his son did the same, working to siphon off some of their own energies to ground the barrier. The lives that were lost during the erection of the barrier were a mere statistic in King Enma's mind once it was completed and proven to work beyond expectations, immediately thrusting the youkai into the newly created Makai.

But for all the effort that was put into creating the barrier and all their pride for its effectiveness, there were four key faults that the Reikai leadership did its best to keep under wraps. Much as they hated to admit it, Ningenkai would not last without youkai—or rather, youki. The race of holy men and women the gods had put on the earth long ago were slowly dying out, even as the human race was quickly increasing in number. It was these holy people who, just by living, were able to replenish the resources of the earth. And yet, born of the earth, youkai could do the same, some more aware of it than others. This issue brought about the primary fault in the barrier: humans and youkai could not live together in peace, yet Ningenkai could not survive without youki, leaving Reikai with the realization that a full split could not be made. The alternate world, Makai, was instead anchored to certain locations in the care of the remaining holy people of any power. Mount Fuji was one such location. In Ningenkai it existed as a snow-capped site home to temples and pilgrims; in Reikai, it was a shadow on the bland landscape; in Makai, it was home to a certain youkai smith who terrorized all who came near.

This first issue directly gave rise to the second: the barrier could not be impenetrable—not and still be able to sustain itself. And so the Reikai made plans to create a force to catch the small-fries that managed to sneak their way through the barrier into Ningenkai. If a few of the lesser youkai occasionally wreaking terror on the humans was the price they had to pay, it was a small one in comparison to the damage that could be done by one of the truly powerful youkai.

These first two bits of information were regarded as secrets, but not uncommon knowledge—more ignored embarrassments than anything else. But then there was the final fault, a fault that only King Enma and his son knew about.

There are moments in time that are key to the development of humankind, moments that define history, and the future. There was one moment in time that the Reikai, in establishing their barrier, was hoping to forever prevent: the re-creation of a powerful jewel into one. They wanted to prevent the act, prevent the possibility of evil triumphing over good, prevent the possibility of good trying to make the impossible pure wish, but they never could have predicted what had occurred.

A single moment in time. It wasn't something normal humans could see, and some of them couldn't even sense it. But enough did that the area was left alone—that lingering feeling of dread and desperation and sorrow, so overpowering that it was only the most sensitive that could get over the ghost-like could to feel the hope, the love, the faith that remained during that last, critical moment of battle, when the barrier, unexpectedly delayed but unable to be stopped, rose.

A single moment in time, out of sync with the rest of the universe by one second, a gap in time caused by the barrier interrupting one of those deciding moments in history. One second was all it took to remove it from sight, from the awareness of those who hadn't been closely watching the battle: a young woman and her companions, exhausted but determined, facing off against a hanyou who had lost all of his humanity. Her arrow was drawn and charged with holy power and yet a tentacle was headed straight for her. It was a scene that could have been painted, allowing audiences to look at it in anxiety and wonder: Would she triumph, or be impaled?

It was a scene that Hiei studied in detail before coming to a decision.

* * *

Though the notion would have been thought ridiculous by…well, anyone who knew him, heard of him, or had faced the tip of his sword, Hiei considered himself to be a scientific youkai. Hands-on practice in anatomy had taught him exactly where to strike on an enemy to ensure a quick kill, and exactly how to prolong suffering. Increasing skill as an assassin—and, sometimes, outright murderer—brought him clientele who hired him to pull off kills with ever-increasing difficulty, sharpening his strategic mind. But above all, he was logical. He dreamed only rarely but, unlike those foolish psychologists who believed dreaming was a function that allowed dreamers to work through issues from the day in the night, or the subconscious trying to get a message through to the conscious, he knew that these dreams were merely memories, reactions to the energies swirling around him every second of every day, even during sleep. After all, even with the Jagan sealed and the dragon warded, his senses were acute. It was these energies of the multitudes around him that built up, sometimes forcing images to grow in his mind and he would relive whatever part of his past had crept up from his memories. It was annoying, but it was science. Actions, no matter how passive, and reactions.

And so, being of a scientific mindset, his brain immediately went to work on the why of this situation: Why was it that he was sitting on the rim of a dry well in the middle of a forest facing some girl who sat on the opposite rim?

It was a dream, that was obvious. While the breeze rustling through the trees and the scent of the forest around him was real enough, and the other inhabitants of this place varied enough, there was a single underlying aura—and it was strongest where the girl sat.

"Why have you invaded my mind, girl? How?"

"Why is it that you think I have invaded your mind? Perhaps I invited you into my own mind. Or," she paused, thoughtful, "Perhaps we are two strangers, brought together by fate in some paradoxical dreamscape. I have been told quite often that I am a paradox." She flashed a smile at him. He glared.

"Give me a straight answer, girl."

"Ask me a better question and maybe I will."

Hiei jumped to his feet, hand on the hilt of his sword. "That is my only question, and if you cannot answer it…then you are useless to me."

It was a quick draw, and a quick, clean slice. Too clean. He could neither see nor smell any blood from her neck as she fell into the depths of the well. Soon, he couldn't see or smell anything, left with only the sensation of falling, headfirst, down, down, down…

Hiei jolted awake.

* * *

_Twang._

_Shhhh…_

_Thunk!_

It was dark there, in the place Hiei found himself in, which was much more normal in comparison to his usual mental reactions to external stimuli during periods of rest. He had been in many dark places in the past.

_Twang._

_Shhhh…_

_Thunk!_

However, none of his memories carried that particular set of sounds. And as his eyes adjusted and he began to explore his area of confinement—a very brief exploration—he realized he didn't quite remember these particular surroundings. Yes, he was in a dark space, but it was only a few square feet all around and from above there was light peeking through, like shafts in an old roof.

_Twang._

_Shhhh…_

_Thunk!_

He was in a well, a place he didn't remember.

_Twang._

_Shhhh…_

_Thunk!_

And as soon as he realized this, he took a moment to read the energy signatures around him.

_Twang._

_Shhhh…_

_Thunk!_

It was her.

Eyes narrowing, he jumped out of the dry well only to find himself in some old storage shed. As he opened the doors, he shielded his eyes to prevent the sudden rays of light from blinding him and immediately laid eyes…

_Twang._

_Shhhh…_

_Thunk!_

On her, that girl he knew he had killed. And yet, here she was, dressed casually but eyes full of concentration as she reached behind her, grabbed an arrow, strung it, and—

_Twang._

_Shhhh…_

_Thunk!_

Hit the target.

The fact that she—rather, the arrow—glowed was his next realization.

"Miko."

She turned at the title, bow and arrow pointed down, and smiled. Just like she had the last time.

"Hello, there! It's about time you showed up; I'm almost out of arrows."

He hated that, how she was so casual about it, as if he hadn't tried to kill her, as if they were friends meeting up for…for…whatever. Instinctively, he reached for the hilt of his sword and, quicker than he could draw, she raised her bow and pointed her arrow right at him.

He was surprised at her speed, and chastised himself for underestimating her: if she was powerful enough to make her arrows glow so effortlessly, then she was the strongest miko he had ever seen; of course she would have reflexes like that in the presence of the youkai who had tried to kill her.

He was preparing to remain there in a standoff for as long as it took to figure out an alternative plan to rid himself of this girl when she sighed and relaxed her stance—just slightly.

"Look, why don't we call a truce for now, and I can make tea, and we can talk for a bit." It was a weak smile that followed the statement, but she seemed sincere and he knew better than to waste an opportunity to study his enemy. He nodded his agreement. Lowering her bow and placing the arrow back in its quiver, she turned away—a moment of opportunity, were he not a youkai of his word—and led him into the kitchen of the modest house nestled on the side of the shrine grounds.

He wondered whether he was actually obligated to talk with the miko, but ended up just sitting and listening as she spun a tale of a powerful jewel and a long battle between good, evil, and the gray space in between.

She came to him in dreams. He acknowledged that now, along with the fact that he was dreaming. Not that he was doing so willingly. That, he was sure, was due to intervention on her part, though he was not sure how. It was a world filled with her memories, her powers, but grounded in his mind.

* * *

For the past two dreams, she had settled them on a park bench each with an ice cream cone which, though tasty enough, lacked the intensity of the real world product, just as everything in this dream world lacked something. Whatever—and wherever—she was now, she was once alive, and he suspected that every sensation was a memory of how she perceived the world. And so, like a long-faded memory, so too was everything in this world. Faded. The flavors, and scents, and sounds, even the people—when they made an appearance—were barely distinguishable from one another. Compared to this empty urban landscape, the clearing where he first encountered the miko was far more real than anything he'd experienced through her since. Yet, underneath every last dreamscape was the same aura, hers, so pure and powerful.

She seemed content to make small-talk, make inquiries into his life, as well as—strangely correct—assumptions. He wasn't all that surprised: she had, after all, unloaded upon him her entire life's story. He didn't mind, really—or he was, at least, resigned to the fact that he was stuck with her for the time being. It wasn't all that bad. If she were real, he imagined she would fit in with the rest of his former teammates; she was probably just as useful in battle as Kuwabara, if not more so for her purification powers.

Which reminded him… "You never finished your story," he said bluntly.

She peered over at him curiously. "Hm?"

"The final battle with Naraku. You never said what happened."

He noticed a hint of hesitation in her features, but she turned away before he could really read her. "Well, um…hmm…" She looked down at her wrist and he noticed for the first time that the watch there that she seemed to always fret with was broken. He supposed that whatever dream world this was, it didn't have a jeweler. Then he mentally berated himself for letting his mind wander. "I guess you could say that it was a battle that both sides were destined to lose," she said and, though his sense of smell was dulled in this world, he could have sworn he heard tears in her voice. "The last few seconds are a complete blur to me, but when I…became aware again, they were all gone, and there was nothing I could do."

"And you?" Was she dead as well? Had she passed into death, but not into Reikai? Was she a spirit, drifting through life, and time, just as she had with the well?

She turned to him and the look in her eyes made him feel just the slightest bit of pity, just the slightest bit of discomfort. "I don't know."

* * *

They made no noise as they ran at breakneck speeds across the northwestern forest of Makai, a claim that Yusuke would not have been able to make just a few years ago. It was more than the released youki that had been sealed inside the detective for most of his life, it was the new sense of purpose that came with it. The detective had always been a cocky smartass, but now he was a leader, a governor under King Enki—a rather lax king at that, allowing those under him much freedom in their rule—and the position suited him.

And yet, here they were, years after the Makai Tournament, years after their respective debts had been paid, on a mission at the _request_—not command—of Koenma.

"_We have found a correlation between crossing the border separating Makai and Ningenkai and the disappearances of young men and women in the same area," the Prince had said, pushing buttons on his remote to operate the TV flashing pictures in front of them, as he had done so many times in the past. "We believe this to be the work of slavers, though we have little proof, as they have managed to evade the border patrols on both sides."_

_Kurama raised a brow. "An inside job?"_

"_Perhaps," was the solemn reply before his voice returned to its businesslike tone. "We will be looking into that later. For now, both sides have agreed the important thing for now is to stop whoever's responsible while we can catch them off-guard. We'll need you in two teams, one on either side…"_

And so he and Yusuke had been transported by Botan to a location on the Makai border deemed out of range of the slavers' sensors, should they have any, and Kurama and Kuwabara were on the Ningenkai side. Until recently, the arrangement would have been strange. True, Hiei and Kuwabara were the strongest in sensing auras of the group (though Hiei was loathe to acknowledge this), but it was strange to put both of the heavy hitters of the group together. Not that the others couldn't handle themselves, particularly against a bunch of slavers who chose to kidnap humans rather than even low-level youkai. Hiei suspected sentimentality on Koenma's part when he made the decision: the Prince had at some point become attached to the team of misfits he had put together, but it was well-known that his father did not share the same confidence, particularly after Yusuke's heritage was revealed. Hiei knew it wasn't coincidence that he and the detective tended to end up in Makai and the others in Ningenkai. The Prince thought they actually needed his protection.

As they reached the outer limits of the slavers' range, Hiei quit that line of thought in order to concentrate. Sensing no one in the immediate area, he unwrapped the Jagan for a wider scan. Nothing yet. They continued along the border, but at a slower, more stealthy pace.

He wondered how long this mission would take. This was supposed to be his time off of border patrol, yet here he was dealing with some problem the others should have been able to handle instead of watching over Yukina. He growled inwardly when thoughts of his sister drifted to another girl who lived on a shrine. He was not about to let that miko invade his thoughts when he was fully conscious, not when he wasn't actively working on solving the problem of those…whatever they were.

"Dude, what's up with you?" Yusuke asked, breaking his train of thought. Hiei slanted a glance his way but didn't respond. "What, ya not been sleeping well or something?"

Though Kurama was often thought of as the brains of the group, and was best at reading Hiei, Yusuke was not far behind—he had, after all, orchestrated the Makai Tournament, and was far more intuitive than the avatar. He was also like a rabid dog with a bone and would probably annoy Hiei until he was forced to give him some information to get some respite.

"My rest has been…disturbed as of late," he replied evasively.

But apparently not evasively enough as the detective processed the information slowly before a smile crept onto his face. "Is it a _girl?"_ he teased.

Before he had time to tell him, in no uncertain terms, that it was none of his business, there was a beeping sound coming from Yusuke's pocket. The communicator. Yusuke flipped open the compact and they were immediately met with Botan's face.

"Hello, Yusuke, Hiei," she greeted cheerfully. "Kurama and Kuwabara caught the group red-handed. We're transporting them to Reikai now."

"Great! Then we're done."

"Not so fast, Yusuke," Botan scolded. "It's highly doubtful that any of these guys have the mental capacity to plan an operation like this," she explained, finger raised, "and we still don't know where they're taking the humans."

"So you need Hiei to pick through their minds."

"Exactly!"

"Hn, whatever. Come pick us up."

The sooner he solved their problem, the sooner he could solve his.

After a few more minutes of alternatingly glaring at and ignoring the smirking Yusuke, Botan finally arrived on her oar to transport them back to the ever-sterile white halls of Reikai, though nowhere near the interrogation rooms. As Botan began to lead them in that direction, Hiei silently scoffed at the fact that he still had to have an escort. He suspected that it had less to do with the fact that he was a criminal—former criminal, that is—than the fact that Enma was known for his paranoia. Though what good Botan or Yusuke would do if he did suddenly go on a rampage, he had no idea. Botan was far too weak, and Yusuke was just as likely to join in. Of course, it was likely a result of careful maneuvering on Koenma's part that he had such a light escort, or was allowed near the interrogation rooms at all. As much as the princeling could get on his nerves, he did what needed to be done—in this case, trust a youkai to do good…by whatever means necessary. It would be interesting times when Koenma grew a pair and decided to challenge his father.

But for now, he followed Botan in her labyrinthine path to the interrogation room, the one used for criminals, nondescript from the outside, but near the dungeons and furnished with nothing but a couple chairs and bindings. The two held in the room were brutes, weak for youkai—obviously low men on the food chain—but well-suited for the task of kidnapping helpless women. Even now he could sense the fear of their victims, soaked into their auras. The gang may not have been in operation for long, but the only difference was now these lowlifes got paid.

As Hiei closed the door, he made it his first order of business to wipe those smirks off their faces. For good.

* * *

It was like a wasteland, this stone, cold fortress, littered with the bodies of those who were too much trouble to move. It was the kind of scene Hiei had grown used to in his unrestrained youth, and was still quite familiar with throughout his life. He could accept the mass murder of dozens, or hundreds, without any remorse. But this…this was a slaughter by lowlifes without honor upon those far, far weaker than they.

_Disgusting._

He was completely frustrated with the situation. Somehow, the kidnappers knew that something was wrong, that they had been made. It weighed in his mind that they had taken too long, that this all could have been prevented. Instead, he was left to go room by room, looking for clues. Not in the traditional sense; if they were smart enough to pick up and leave like this on just a few hours' notice, he doubted they would leave any physical evidence behind. Instead, the Jagan was wide open. There were no traces of life besides those of the team in the area, but with the Jagan, he could sometimes reach surface memories of the recently deceased.

And so he went, room by room, floor by floor, searching the minds of these dead women—some too young to really be called women—for faces, and locations, and anything that may give them some direction. Behind him, the rest of the team followed, taking each body to the large dining chamber, most likely to be burned. Reikai would never return these bodies to their families.

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama filed into the room he just left, each displaying various degrees of anger and exhaustion, as he opened the door to the next.

_A shock of blue_.

Hiei's aura spiked, dramatically and dangerously enough that he felt the others rush out of the room before he could remind himself that Yukina was safe, in Ningenkai, with Genkai, who could easily defeat any bottom of the food chain kidnapper that threatened his sister. He glared the others away and continued forward, walking straight towards the closest of the two bodies in the room. It was obvious as he stepped in that she was human; the hair was probably dyed blue, like some humans did. Knowing that now, he should have been able to block everything out again, go about his task.

The others were clearing the last room; he had a few minutes to force himself away from his current thoughts. But he couldn't.

It was bad enough that they were abducting women, using them, abusing them, selling them, killing them. Makai—and Reikai, for that matter—had every reason to fear him, particularly during his professional days. But he had a strict code to live by; it was one of the reasons he was so feared—he was every bit as likely to kill the client as the target. His mind kept wandering back to Yukina. She had, when he'd first found her, been a captive of greedy men who wanted nothing more than for her to cry their fortunes out of her eyes. But she was still intact, still among the living, with him. But what if she had been one of these victims, or Botan or Keiko or Shizuru?

Or…Kagome.

Was this how she died, if she died? Did she experience such trauma that she couldn't remember her last moments, and was left, still with so much power, to wander forever?

He hated to admit it, but it was true: he was becoming more human.

And whoever did this deserved a slow, writhing death.

* * *

It was a sudden transition this time, rather than slowly fading into her world. He closed his eyes and there he was, walking next to her down an isle packed with foodstuffs as she pushed her cart and chattered.

Normally, he would have brushed it off. Normally—or what "normally" had become—he would take it in stride, learn what he could about the miko, and maybe—just a little bit, and not quite acknowledging it—enjoy being in her presence, so vivacious, so accepting, but so challenging.

But this was not a normal day. There was business to be finished, bloody business, and just the thought of Yukina in that situation—he craved a fight, a kill, a quick end to the search and a slow end to the ringleader of the gang that caused such suffering.

He was not going to get that here.

And so he wasn't about to waste his time listening to some dead miko chatter on. With every inane word, the rage built, and it was just a matter of time…

"—and it's strange, you know?" she said as she picked up a box from the shelf, glancing at it before tossing it into the growing pile in the cart. "Well, I mean, not all that strange for a human and all, but it just came on so suddenly, and after so long. I wonder if it's because—" she glanced down to and to her right—to her wrist—for just the briefest second, the briefest pause, before starting up again, far from where she left off. "I know I probably won't be able to taste it all that well, or at all, since it's not particularly real, but if I concentrate, I'm sure I can cook it all, and maybe that will help. Not the cravings, but maybe the whole feel of it and—"

"Shut up."

She finally looked at him. Surprised. Shocked. Worried. _Whatever._ "W-what?"

He stalked toward her, a dangerous gleam in his eyes, and he was all the more encouraged when she took a step back into the cart, full of imaginary food from this imaginary place. Her imaginary place.

"You invaded my mind without permission, made this place for yourself, and force me to come here night after night and listen to you talk and talk and talk, like some ghost without the courage to cross over."

"Hiei, I…" she started, tears beginning to pour from her eyes.

"Hn. Some miko you are. Your kind is supposed to be selfless, but how selfish can you be to keep dragging me here so you can have someone to talk to. And out there, in the _real _world, there's suffering going on every day, and I may not care about most of it, and I may not be able to do much about the rest of it, but right now," he growled out angrily, "you're doing nothing but keeping me from doing what I can do."

"No! That's not true!" She exclaimed, but it had no effect on him as she kept shrinking into herself, fiddling with that damn watch of hers.

"That watch probably stopped the moment you died! Now you're a parasite, left in limbo, unable to grasp the courage your kind is known for. Do me—heck, the entire world—a favor, and pass on and leave me the fuck alone!"

The miko was frozen in shock, so still the thought crossed his mind that his desire had banished the ghost and all that was left in her place was a mirage, one that chilled him to the soul. The way she stared at him was as if he had betrayed her in some damning way, hurt her so deeply she could never be shaken from the pain. She was a husk of a human being, so far from the vibrant woman he had met so many dreams ago.

And then, unlike how this dream had begun, the world began to fade—to blur, really, like flowing ink on a rain-soaked painting—and, just on the edge of wakefulness, he heard a whispered, "I'm sorry."

* * *

This time, Hiei did not wait for an escort.

This time, the thugs knew better than to provoke him.

This time, there was no mercy.

* * *

Two days. Two days was all it had taken to use the information he'd ripped from the prisoners' minds and narrow down the headquarters, to this place, a hideaway in the mountains, like some bad cliché. Two days, feverish, intense, was all it had taken to launch a surprise attack and kill all the men here, both bodies and minds, because Hiei was not about to take the chance that any of them got away. Their leader, the cocky, disgusting bastard, had only stopped his screams a minute ago. It wasn't because he was dead, Hiei knew, but because he didn't have the strength or will to scream any more. He was fine with keeping that to himself because he wasn't sure what was worse—the fact that Kuwabara couldn't stand to be in the same room with him, or the way Kurama and Yusuke were looking at him.

That bit of contemplation was grounded to a halt when he heard it, a soft moan coming from the corner, where a table lay toppled, its settings strewn across the area. Before the others could react, he was there in a flash, sword drawn and ready—

And then he saw her, a dark-haired woman, dirty and beaten and scared and hopeful and his mind flashed back to an aisle in a grocery store and a clearing with a dry well, and to such a wonderful and horrible place that he had to consciously pull his mind away, back to the present, to what reality is and not what it should be. To this woman, who looked so hopeful but so scared.

He carefully sheathed his sword and tried to smile, to soften his features, hoping it looked more friendly than the grimace he imagined it may be, and leaned down to pick her up. With her securely in his arms, he made his way back to the others, stopping to command them to look for the rest. By the time he'd stepped out of the mountain fortress and into the daylight of Makai, the woman had fallen asleep with her arms wrapped around his neck.

He looked down on her peaceful, sleeping face…and tried to block out the overwhelming feeling of guilt.

* * *

As the team debriefed him on their mission, Koenma listened with half an ear, knowing that Botan would give him a proper, detailed report later.

Koenma's job required him wear many hats. He was leader to his employees, follower to his father, archivist and manipulator of the dead, living, and inanimate, and voyeur to all of the above. The huge TV screen served a greater purpose than briefings, and the ferry girls were far more than liaisons between Ningenkai and Reikai. Some extent of paranoia was required to become leader of such a large organization as Reikai, almost as important as knowing one's people. That was Koenma's philosophy. And so, though he did not voice it—it would not benefit anyone to do so—he could tell, from years of study and probing manipulation, that something was off with Hiei, and he had an idea of probable cause. There was a new energy building up inside him, contradictory and complimentary, preparing him, he suspected, for a future he may choose. Or not. It was, after all, a choice, he had been told centuries before.

There were few Koenma acknowledged as master over him. There had been many stronger, but few who were the total package of strength, talent and cunning. Currently, there were only two: his father, of course, was one, though with his increasing paranoia and decreasing power levels, it was only a matter of time before Koenma could take over. The other had given him specific instructions, which he had followed to the letter when he had first felt that familiar energy building in Hiei.

As the heavy doors shut behind the team, a figure stepped out from one of the nooks behind Koenma's desk. The detectives hadn't sensed him—couldn't have, even if they tried, not unless Sesshoumaru had wanted them to. Even then, they wouldn't have believed it. Sesshoumaru was the oldest, most powerful youkai living in Makai. Lord Sesshoumaru, son of the Western General, was royalty in the youkai world, but acknowledged only in myth. Only the four lords who reigned directly over the lower youkai had any idea of his continued existence, and he preferred it that way.

Koenma followed his progress to the front of the desk from the edges of his vision. Sesshoumaru was the same as the first time he'd met him in person all those years ago. Graceful. Beautiful.

Deadly.

Above all else, deadly.

When Sesshoumaru stood in front of him, all that was necessary was for their eyes to meet for just a second for instant understanding to form. Koenma sighed, but whether it was in relief or trepidation, he wasn't sure.

"I'll make the arrangements."

* * *

Hiei, being a master of the mind, was also a master of his own mind, and as such was very good at compartmentalizing and forgetting what he didn't feel was important or simply did not want to remember. Logically, he knew that the miko, and the way he had…left her would bear down on his mind, mixing with thoughts of the last case and leave him distracted, a state he could not afford to be in. Logically, he knew that she could only reach him when he was asleep. And so, like any logical youkai, he dealt with the problem of his dreams in a logical way: he didn't sleep.

No sleep, barely any rest. Any time he closed his eyes there was the possibility of having to face her. And so he kept busy, planning for situations that hadn't yet happened. Some people played crosswords. He prepared himself for the unexpected. Trained to be better than he was the day before. Long before he joined the team, he was used to staying awake for days at a time, as a matter of survival. But becoming stronger, he hated to admit, had dulled his survival instincts somewhat, and the consciously enforced insomnia was starting to drag on him.

Kurama had told him last night, head in a book like he couldn't care one way or the other, that Hiei looked like an addict on his first days of rehab. It was no coincidence that, as he was stating this so nonchalantly, his hand casually went to his hair to brush through it, staying there just a couple seconds too long. Hiei bolted. He would much rather stay awake and look, and feel, like hell, than face her, even if every minute of his days were now thinking about her and last time and _willtherebeanexttime?_

But consciously enforced insomnia was a survival tactic, not a way of life. It could only be used for a few days, long enough for any trouble to die down, before he crashed, hard, hopefully in a safe place. His feverish mind tried to resist, but in the end he knew what had to happen, and so he went to one of his hideouts in Ningenkai…and gave in.

* * *

There wasn't much to see here, this time: the well from the first time, the clearing, the tree line, and then...not quite darkness, but…nothingness. He wondered, in the back of his mind, if that was because, for once, his mind had sought out hers and, just as her memories had faded, this was the only common ground between them that he could remember clearly, though he had spent so little time here. Kurama would say that it was poetic to be standing here again, at the beginning, but this time knowing so much more about her, and wanting so much more from her, and for her, and hoping she would feel the same.

He stood there, on the lip of the well, as he had entered the first dream, but unlike that first time, she was not across from him, standing proudly, smiling wickedly. He quietly jumped down to the grass and walked around the well to the opposite site, where she sat with her arms around her knees, head buried, tense. With a sigh, he removed his sword—he wouldn't need it, not with her—and slumped down next to her.

He had thought about what he'd say, if he ever saw her again. Had he been Kurama or Kuwabara, maybe he would have memorized a speech that would sway her to him again. But he knew that he was much more like Yusuke, and what everything really boiled down to was that… "I fucked up." That got the first movement out of her—a twitch, an acknowledgement. A good sign. So he clumsily trudged forward. "I thought life was so much better when all I had to care about was myself, and revenge. I won't bore"—_disturb_—" you with the details; you know how youkai are. But that all changed when I learned about Yukina, my sister, and how she was looking for me." He laughed darkly. "I hear I have a sister that actually cares about me and suddenly my priorities change. No thought, no ulterior motives. Suddenly, there's someone more important than myself." He paused to look over at her, and felt relief when he saw that some of the tension was released. "When I finally found her, it was only because she was the prisoner of these disgusting men, men who had captured her because I had failed to find her first. They had…" he trailed off, deciding not to complete that statement; he was only getting angry, and that wouldn't help in this situation.

"I've changed, somehow, dramatically. I'm not forced to do the work anymore. But these cases…sometimes they affect me. And this…this gang of lowlifes, what they'd done to all those women…Not even when I was a thief and assassin did I ever sink so low—" He jerked at her touch. He'd been so focused on his thoughts that he hadn't noticed that her right arm had loosened from around her knees and her hand now covered his on the ground, where he'd been clenching at the grass and dirt. She still wasn't looking at him, but it was something, some sign of forgiveness, he thought.

He wondered if he should go on, but before he could say anything else, she said, mumbling quietly, "It's not broken."

"What?"

She looked at him for the first time, and what he saw in her eyes was sadness, and hope. "My watch. Time works differently in the dreamworld. All others are blind to it, but it's too plain for me to see that it's only a matter of seconds before the countdown is finished."

Before he could have her clarify that, she changed the subject again. "And I'm not dead," she said with an air of finality that didn't feel quite final, now on her knees before him so that they were on eye level. Then, backing down a little, she admitted, "But…I am stuck." Try as she might, the tears began to flow. "And I have no idea what to do."

And, frankly, neither did he. In a perfect world, he would have apologized and then…well, something would happen and make it alright. Perhaps a wish would make it all better. Or Koenma. Or maybe he should stop poking around Botan's romance-novel-ridden mind. But now he wasn't sure what to make of everything. She was dead but not really and time was running out? He had nothing to work with and, possibly, everything at risk, and all he could really focus on right now was how perfectly her hands, trying to wipe away her tears, so perfectly framed her lips, and how they looked when she was smiling, or pouting, or licking up flavorless ice cream and how he wanted nothing more than to find out what she tasted like...

And so he did.

It was salty and sweet and left him wanting more—and so, apparently, did she. She returned his kiss with just as much further, deepening it as soon as the thought came to him. He thought for a moment that this was an effect of her emotional state, that he should stop it before they did anything they would regret, but sometimes honor only went so far, and need went so much further.

* * *

He woke up—in the dreamscape, not the real world—languidly, warm and content. The scenery had not changed, so he had no idea how much time had passed. _Not that it matters here._ When he saw her sleeping peacefully with him as her pillow, an emotion washed over him. A good emotion, unlike most he had felt, but similar to one he felt for his sister. It was a sort of joy that she was with him, accompanied by contentment and peace, the feeling that all he needed was to bask in her presence to be whole. He wouldn't put a name to it right now, but he had a suspicion of what to call it.

Kagome, laying half on top of him, shifted with a slight twist of the wrist. She was frowning, her aura subdued. "You need to go."

He answered her with a look.

"I told you, Hiei," she said sadly, "time is running out. You can return here one last time, and then…" She shrugged. "It's up to you."

"What are you talking abou—" She silenced him with a kiss.

"It'll all be explained in due time. Until then…I'll be waiting for you."

The last thing he saw before he woke up was her sad smile.

* * *

Between one step and the next, he was in a completely unfamiliar place. He instinctively let his senses take control. The smells and sounds of the forest were clear, but what confused him was the fact that the area, for at least three kilometers around him, was pristine—an improbable fact in a nation such as Japan, not in the current century. That left the question of where he was.

When Koenma stepped out of thin air, he knew better than to be relieved, but regained some confidence having a known variable. Koenma may use Botan and his other ferry girls to transport them and the dead between worlds, but in Reikai the princeling was second only to his father. Hiei hadn't known he could open invisible portals with such swiftness that he hadn't seen it coming, but it was obviously well within his power. And, for whatever reason, Koenma wanted to speak to Hiei alone. He was intrigued.

"Decided to leave your playpen?" he teased the teenager.

Koenma smirked, something that Hiei decidedly did not like, and, ignoring the barb, asked in reply, "How do you like Kagome?"

The growl was immediate.

As was the drawing of his sword.

As was the sword at his neck.

As he followed the line of the blade to its owner, a tall, silver-haired youkai whose entire demeanor screamed "aristocrat" and assassin, he acknowledged that today was a day of surprises. Koenma had transported him who-knows-how-far without his knowing, and this youkai had no aura he could detect. In his experience, no aura usually meant utter weakness, or death. He knew this youkai was far, far to the other end of the spectrum.

When he spoke, his voice was cold and deep and in such a tone that Hiei knew this youkai was always in command. "You have been chosen. You will listen. And then you will choose.

Hiei relaxed his stance, leaving himself the opportunity to defend himself—because he knew that's all he would be able to do, should it come down to a fight—should these two be plotting something he didn't like. But he was curious, and if they wanted to talk, he would stick around.

"Fine. Let's talk business."

At his acquiescence, the youkai seemed content to remove himself from the conversation and to the edge of the clearing, where he stood aloof. Koenma cleared his throat, but Hiei was reluctant to allow his gaze to leave the youkai.

"Hiei, may I introduce to you Lord Sesshoumaru," he said.

The name was strange in his mind, but familiar. A name spoken only in hushed tones by even the most ruthless of bandits, though they claimed he was only a myth. But myths had to come from somewhere, and if he was able to hide his aura from Hiei with such ease, there was every reason to believe that this was true.

"Of the West?" he inquired.

Koenma nodded.

"And what is it that brings myself, the prince of Reikai and the most powerful youkai in Makai together for a secret meeting today?" he deadpanned.

"I already told you. Kagome." Before he had a chance to react, Koenma continued. "I suppose she already told you about her quest, and the final battle."

"Vaguely." Which was true, whether it was because she could barely remember, didn't want to remember, or didn't want him to know.

"Yes, she doesn't know what was going on behind the scenes, just that she can no longer sense the others." Hiei noted the present tense Koenma was using, filing that away in his mind. "Long before the final battle began, my father was already becoming fanatic in his hatred of youkai. To be honest, I used to think that he would go on a rampage one day and destroy them all," he mused. "But the world cannot exist without balance, and without youkai, the humans would surely die, and so it was decided that a barrier would be put in place, putting the youkai in a permanent 'time-out', if you will." Hiei acknowledged this, despite the darkly joking tone; Makai was a place where youkai survived, and few ever found joy. It was no wonder so many youkai tried to find a way to Ningenkai.

"What does this have to do with Kagome?"

"Once the plans were put in place and everything was ready to erect the barrier, we came to the realization that the process could not be paused or stopped in any way. It took…a long time to erect it, but the effects would not be felt until the process was completely finished. As the one responsible for watching over the world while my father was overseeing his project, I had hoped the barrier would be put in place before the final battle, but instead, it took effect in its last moments," he finished, regret in his eyes.

The Makai Lord glanced at the Reikai Prince with what Hiei could only describe as a tired glare of a grudge that had lightened only slightly with time. "The actions of Reikai both saved and doomed us all in the same moment."

Koenma nodded. "That's very true. In the seconds it took for the barrier to effect the mortal plane, Sesshoumaru and a young kitsune were taken immediately to Makai. Her human companions, already at death's door, were taken to Reikai, and the hanyou…"

"Inuyasha was torn apart, physically and spiritually. He no longer exists."

"And Naraku?" Hiei asked. "I was under the impression he was a hanyou as well."

"And that," Koenma said, "is where it gets interesting. Kagome, as a time traveler, and as the guardian of the Shikon no Tama, has always been an anomaly. There are certain events in her life that had to have happened in a certain way. We believe that this is one of them. She was destined to be the one to defeat Naraku, and when Reikai interrupted this fixed point in time, the barrier, rather than ending the battle for good…displaced it." He shrugged, as if that was the only good way to describe it.

"Displaced?"

"We are standing on the edge of the battle, Hiei."

At this statement, he glanced around the clearing, using both his eyes and the Jagan to see if this was true. But he felt nothing that could be taken as a battle. He glared. He was not someone who enjoyed tricks.

"It's not something anyone can sense, Hiei, however good you are at what you do. Think about it, Kagome is a time traveler. When the barrier hit her, her powers reacted, preserving her destiny. The final battle, rather than ending, was displaced, _by a single second in time_."

Hiei took a moment to think. He wasn't quite ready to believe that without proof, but it did make sense. "How long?"

"They have been frozen like this for five hundred years. If all our research is correct, then only when her past self has left the realm can her present self exist spell will end on the day, the very second, that her past self traveled to the past for the last time."

"Which is when?"

"One week from today."

"And what part do I play in all of this?"

"In one week, the spell will end, and we believe Kagome will kill Naraku." He continued solemnly, "And Naraku will kill Kagome." Koenma drew in a breath. "At the exact moment time was displaced, Kagome was preparing to shoot a purifying arrow at Naraku, but by that time, he was only seconds away from stabbing Kagome through with his tentacles. The only one who could have prevented this was Inuyasha, who was right next to her, protecting her, but he's gone for good. Our only hope to ensure Kagome fulfills her destiny and saves the world from this threat has been to find someone to replace him." Hiei narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists at the insinuation that he was a replacement for some dead hanyou. "The Shikon no Tama may have broken and lent its powers to others, but it had chosen Kagome as its protector long before Mistress Centipede ripped it from her side. Even locked inside time, it has given her an edge, an awareness of the goings on outside of the battle, and a mission. And so, ever since, she has been searching the three realms for someone to replace the hanyou at her side. And before you ask, not just any strong hanyou can serve that function; he has to have the same certain qualities to be assimilated into his space in the displaced time she created. To be honest," Koenma continued with a shrug, "I was beginning to give up hope. From what we understood, with the boost from the Shikon, she'd already scoured the three realms a decade ago with no luck."

"Hn. If this jewel is so powerful, how did it miss me?"

Before Koenma could respond, Sesshoumaru addressed the halfling. "Had you anything to protect?"

"What?"

"In all the years I had known Inuyasha, he was never skilled enough to strike me before he decided to become the miko's protector. He was a selfish brat, but he became the protector of his friends, of that little village, of all Japan, though I doubt he thought that far." He slanted a glance Hiei's way. "Can you honestly claim that you are not the same way? The Jagan is always aware, searching for threats, particularly around your team. And you are no longer bound by Reikai contract to police and protect the realms…and yet you do. The outcast becomes the protector of those who hated him."

"I guess it shouldn't come as any surprise that she would look for the closest match possible to stand by her for the finale."

And that, Hiei acknowledged with a clenched fist, was the nub of it. All that time they spent together, the feeling that he thought might just be love, was brought into question by the sense of anxiety he felt from her, and by a single question: was he a replacement? There was only one way to find out.

"Hey. She said that we could only speak one more time."

"Yes."

"It's time."

* * *

She was in the same place that he met her, but this time was leaning against the well, head down, not quite looking at him where he stood on the edge of the clearing. She looked apprehensive this time, trying to smile, but not able to hold it for more than a few seconds at a time. "I can elaborate on anything they haven't quite explained. I know Sesshoumaru isn't a big talker, and, well, I've never really met Koenma in person, but—"

"They answered my questions adequately," he interrupted.

"Oh," she said quietly, shrinking a little into herself. Moments passed, and while he didn't want to ask her the one question that mattered, he knew there was not enough time to linger.

He walked forward, gripped her chin, needing to see her face, see the truth there. "Answer me one thing, Kagome. Am I just a replacement for him?"

She hesitated, looking for an answer, and in that moment of hesitation, Hiei clenched his jaw, already knowing the answer. "Yes, you're replacing Inuyasha."

He turned away from her, meaning to get as far away from her as this paradox land would allow, but before he could use his enhanced speed, she grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her. He could see the raw emotion in her eyes, tears beginning to form. "In that battle, you are his replacement. But, in my heart, you are Hiei. Only Hiei."

When Hiei awoke, it was with a level of clarity that he hadn't felt for a long time. Koenma and Sesshoumaru were there, watching him.

"Take me to the battle," he commanded.

"You're already on the edges of the battle, Hiei," Koenma responded.

"Then _show_ it to me."

Koenma turned to Sesshoumaru, who nodded. Something else to file away for later. "It'll only be for a few seconds," he warned, then sucked in just a little energy from his pacifier and expended a fine mist throughout the clearing.

He was right, it was just for a few seconds, and it was not a solid image, but Hiei got a clear picture of the battle. His eyes were drawn first to the largest body on the field, Naraku, really no more than a mess of deadly tentacles like tree roots with a body attached. He followed the tentacles to their target, Kagome. _Her arrow was drawn and charged with holy power and yet a tentacle was headed straight for her. It was a scene that could have been painted, allowing audiences to look at it in anxiety and wonder: Would she triumph, or be impaled?_

She wouldn't die, not if he had anything to say about it.

"What's your plan?"

It took just a few minutes for Koenma to explain everything. He would have to be placed into the time distortion in order to become a player during the decisive portion of the battle. Kagome was the only one who could defeat Naraku; it was his job to protect her. A few seconds, nothing more, but it could be the few seconds that prevented the world from being plunged into turmoil. Sesshoumaru, Koenma and the others would be standing by should they fail—Hiei scoffed—though without a strong miko, there wouldn't be much they could do.

With no questions and nothing else needed to be said, Koenma motioned Hiei to get ready. "When you can see them again," he said, gathering his energy and getting ready to perform the spell, Sesshoumaru doing the same, "get into position, quickly."

It was nothing more than a faint outline, this time, but as he ran in, sword drawn, the scene became clearer. When he saw them as defined as Koenma and Sesshoumaru had been in the clearing, he knew that he had successfully entered the displaced time. He could feel his mind slowing down, shut off to the real world, but he could feel Kagome's presence, giving him comfort. Across from them was Naraku, the opponent Kagome had been staring down for centuries, aware of everything to some point, yet shut off to it all. As in the dreamscapes, time felt irrelevant. In a time plane separated from the real world by a single second and frozen until the magic undid itself, he had no idea how time would pass, but he knew he would pass time by planning.

One week. He had to spend one week in this state, then it would all be over. One week and his dreams would be reality.

* * *

_One_.

His foot propels him off the ground, towards Kagome's attacker.

_Two._

His blade strikes one tentacle, two, slicing cleanly as Kagome's charged arrow leaves her bow, headed straight for Naraku.

_Three. _

Another tentacle, too close to Kagome, is hacked off at the last second.

_Four. _

A pain in his side. But she's okay.

The arrow strikes the Shikon no Tama imbedded in Naraku, purifying it.

_Five. _

A white light breaks out across the clearing, coming from Naraku and spreading as he disintegrates.

_Six._

There is a quiet, motionless pause.

_Seven._

The Shikon no Tama floats, whole and shining, where Naraku once was…

_Eight._

…And shoots, like lightning, towards Kagome, embedding itself inside her once again.

_Nine_.

An unwanted rush of senses returns to him.

_Ten._

Kagome smiles at him, and that is all that really matters.

He finds himself suddenly with two armfuls of Kagome and realizes how little the dreamscape allowed him to feel of her. Everything there was dulled; was it possible that even this emotion he felt for her was too? It wasn't enough to hold her in his arms. He wanted her, all of her, every day, and in every way. When she looks at him, he sees the same thing in her eyes. She is the type of person who can love many, and love them all deeply, but him above and deeper than all others.

He moved his arms from around her shoulders, cupping either side of her face and brought her to him, kissing her tenderly, showing her, in that kiss, what she meant to him. To borrow a phrase from Botan's romance-addled mind, she melted into him.

To the side, he could feel the others watching them, wondering what exactly was happening but he ignored them. That is, until he heard Yusuke boast, "See, told you it was just girl problems!"

On another day, he would have gone over there and given Yusuke his own problems, but Kagome's arms were still wrapped around his waist, the sweet scent of hers enrapturing him, and today, now, at this moment, that was more than enough.


	18. Of Decadence and Delight

Disclaimer: I own neither YYH or IY.

AN: I apologize ahead of time for any offense I may cause any of you. I know I can be blunt at times, and in this case, I'm generally TV-taught on the subject, and I'm really more of a Criminal Minds kind of gal when it comes to this subject. So, yes, sorry for any offense my ignorance causes. Constructive criticism is welcome.

AN2: For The Deadliest Sin's winter contest, "Every day's a holiday with you".

* * *

**Of Decadence and Delight**

Age is not all decay; it is the ripening, the swelling, of the fresh life within, that withers and bursts the husk.  
George MacDonald

Bodily decay is gloomy in prospect, but of all human contemplations the most abhorrent is body without mind.  
Thomas Jefferson

* * *

Hiei was awoken from his doze by the door shutting slightly louder than normal and the smell of burnt flesh. Considering who it was, both were symptoms of wrongness, but he couldn't decide which to be more worried about. It was odd, he decided, for Kurama to arrive home hours early on his first day on the job—after all, he had all the grace, charm and intelligence earned from living with Youko for all these years to talk his way into and out of every situation, though he had that human modesty and sense of guilt that might prevent him from using it had he actually managed to do something so bad to get fired on his first day. But it was far worse that he was injured and Youko hadn't been able to do anything about it.

He waited as Kurama made his way through the kitchen to the living room where Hiei stood against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"We have a problem," he said, his voice a suspicious mixture of his and Youko's, as he went about unbuttoning his shirt. "An insane woman with holy powers resides inthe hospital." He opened the shirt to reveal an angry red welt in the vague shape of a hand just below his heart.

Hiei's eyes widened in surprise, now unable to resist closing the distance between them to inspect the injury. He could feel the heat rising from it without touching it, a residual tingle of holy energy increasing the closer he got to it. "A miko?"

Kurama shook his head in frustration, turning away and beginning to pace as he knew Youko used to do once upon a time, those few occasions when something went wrong. "How should I know? She's in a mental hospital. I don't even know what would be worse: a trained miko gone mad, or some crazy woman who has no control over her powers. What I want to know," he said, stopping mid-circuit and staring intensely at Hiei, "is how she came to be so powerful. They were bedtime stories when we were young. How is it possible for her to exist?"

"Some kind of recessive gene?" Hiei suggested, having often gone through Kurama's old books during spells of boredom. Kurama stopped in his pacing, acknowledging the thought, before beginning again. With no answer forthcoming, Hiei changed tactic from why to what. "Will we need to subdue her?" The meaning of 'subdue' was obvious, and brought an immediate change in atmosphere.

Kurama finally sat, beginning to calm down and think rather than stew. Youko had a habit of letting his pride get in their way. "No," he said eventually. "If we go in unprepared now, Reikai will find out eventually—if they don't already know about her—and I'm betting the punishment for killing a miko would be much worse than for stealing from their vaults." He retreated into his mind for another minute before addressing Hiei again. "Will Mukuro need you for the next few weeks?"

He shook his head. "Everything's quiet this time of year. You want me to do reconnaissance?"

"Yes," he nodded, "First we need to figure out everything we can about her. And then," he said, eyes hard, "decide what needs to be done."

* * *

Hiei did not have much experience concerning hospitals. In fact, he would be among the first to say that hospitals were an alien concept devised by weak, sentimental humans. It wasn't that youkai had no use for healers—there were many peaceful communities, and many healers were powerful and sought after in Makai; his own sister came from a village of healers, though they were on the whole reclusive and generally unwilling to help all but the desperate who made the difficult climb to their territory. Hiei himself was raised to see the incompetent as prey: a youkai would fight constantly to secure his place until one day someone better came along. For those who lived past their prime, it was only a matter of time before their violent deaths.

Those considered insane by human standards were either feared or disposed of quickly. Considering his target, he was prepared to use caution.

The psychiatric ward occupied the entire east wing of the hospital—on the opposite end from the terminal patients, so at least he didn't have to deal with those mental invasions of grief, but it wasn't any better having to deal with the jumbled assembly of minds packed into four floors. The miko, violent but not suicidal, was allowed a room on the third floor. Tracking the marker—a seed infused with Youko's youki—Kurama had planted earlier in the day, he located the miko's room and quickly settled himself on the rooftop of a building across the street which provided a vantage point from where he could just see into her room through the metal bars.

He uncovered his jagan and slowly opened it, allowing himself a minute to check for any threats and block out the other residents to concentrate on her. She was sleeping—it was past midnight, after all—and her mind vulnerable. He had heard stories of the mikos and their abilities before the barrier was in place: the most novice among them was a challenge to probe and the truly gifted ones impossible, as if they had natural barriers protecting them. Even human magics failed to influence them.

So it was a surprise to Hiei that, even in her sleeping state, he was able to slip into her mind virtually unnoticed. It was like attempting to pick a lock only to realize the door wasn't even shut. He wondered, briefly, how deteriorated her mind had become—but only briefly. Bolstered by the lack of confrontation, he summoned a bit more of his power, determined to make quick work of his recon mission, and began to sink down deeper into her mind.

And that's when he felt it—her. A presence in her mind, watching him, testing his power with a mental touch like a soft caress.

In the physical world, on the edges of his senses, he heard a moan.

He had not even landed in the foyer—what he termed the area of the mind from which he could access the rest—but, knowing the necessity of caution on this mission, he prepared himself to leave, assuming his powers were bringing her to wakefulness and she would soon kick him out of her mind, but instead, he felt another caress, heard another moan, and knew that somehow, for some reason, his presence was giving her…_pleasure_. He was curious, but knew better than to let mere curiosity guide him against such an opponent and began to rise out of his mind.

But too late. She was beginning to get a grip on him, light but needy, like a woman nipping at her lover, sucking softly on his neck.

_Yes…yes…!_ He heard in his mind.

Soft extraction wouldn't work, he knew.

So he tore himself away, taking care to leave as little damage as possible.

"Nooo!"

Fully in his own body once more, he heard her scream herself awake, saw her thrashing about, followed quickly by the night attendants rushing in to hold her down as one pulled out a syringe.

That morning, as Kurama was leaving the house to go to work, he looked over to Hiei, who was in his usual spot in the living room, raising an eyebrow in question. Hiei shook his head once before looking away, dismissing him. He could hold Kurama off for a little while; neither had expected anything right away. For now, he would keep the events of the night to himself.

* * *

The next night found Hiei on the same rooftop, across from the miko's room, and strangely hesitant. Not one to allow himself any weaknesses, he ripped the white cloth away from the jagan and set to work.

Her mind, despite his hasty retreat, was intact. He made sure to check for any fraying or scarring bearing his signatures, but there were none—not that there weren't any others at all. There were scars and fraying at every level in her mind that he'd been able to visit.

What was different from his last visit was that he knew immediately that she was aware, and watching him. And he felt, oddly, welcomed by her subconscious. Again, it was something he wouldn't expect from his natural enemy, but they were investigating her on the basis of her decayed mental state. Obviously the miko had to be crazy if interacting with his youki gave her such pleasure.

Her presence remained hovering on the edges of his senses—like a dog that knew it had done something wrong and was trying to please him by being overly polite—so he decided to probe deeper. His mission was to examine her mental state, and to do that, he needed access to her memories. He focused his mind on finding where she kept hers.

From his years of probing into the minds of others, he knew that, like computers, the interface may change—he'd seen many organized like doors in a house, others as cabinets of curiosities—but the functions remained the same. There was always a foyer, an entrance zone, from which other parts of the mind could be accessed. Hers was pictured as a clearing in a forest, with a well in the center. Nothing special, until he looked up. The sky was in that strange, in-between state that happened sometimes, when the sun was just beginning to set and the moon and some stars could be seen, but he was able to see it all clearly, even small planets and clusters of light that looked like distant galaxies.

He knew, just by looking, by sensing, the functions of it all. He knew that with one massive attack to the sun he could kill her—maybe not physically, but mentally, and that was really what mattered in the end—just as he knew that, were he to enshroud the moon in his youki, he could control the miko. Perhaps, long ago, he would have done that.

Her presence watched him as he focused on each satellite individually until he found what he was looking for, in the form of a spiral galaxy, hundreds of stars, separate but clustered. He found he needn't do anything but think it and he was transported to its center, and was surprised to find that it wasn't planets or stars he was now surrounded by, but thousands of shards of glass, or perhaps of a jewel. The shards were uniform in all but color, ranging from a bright, clear pink to a sickly purple.

As he floated in this space, trying to decide where to start first, he felt her presence growing. She didn't try to grab onto him again—though he could sense her pleasure through the connection—but he could feel her pulling his attention in one direction, toward a small cluster of pink shards that had an air of innocence about them. Her presence was beaming with friendliness and reassurance as he ventured closer to the cluster.

_Come in to my parlor, said the spider to the fly…_

He'd heard that from Kurama a while back, probably some bit of fictional human nonsense, like the bit about the scorpion and the frog, but it seemed rather appropriate in his current situation.

The choice of whether or not to put his trust in his natural enemy was his to make at this moment. It was impossible to go against one's nature. But then again, he was no fly.

_The beginning, then_.

* * *

Kurama was sitting at the kitchen table when he arrived back at their apartment, sipping coffee and looking expectantly over his newspaper at Hiei. He was expecting a report, and after a week of avoidance and delay, he knew there was no putting off the fox any longer. Kurama had made enough coffee for two, so he poured himself a mug of it, adding a liberal amount of milk—it was really more milk flavored with coffee, a delicious concoction, but one he refused to drink in front of the others since he knew all that would come of it was short jokes.

"For a miko," he said wryly as he pulled out his chair, "she has an unhealthy liking for youkai."

"What do you mean?" His own experience hadn't left him with that impression.

Hiei briefly explained the situation to him.

"Interesting. So she's essentially rolled out the red carpet for you." Kurama tapped his fingers on the table. "That presents questions of its own, but I'm more curious about the presence you felt. Could it have been some defective wisp of power that was supposed to protect her mind? Was it ever dangerous."

It was a question that Hiei had pondered several times before on his own. He'd finally settled on: "I'm not sure. That first time, it was like it was trying to…devour me. It didn't want to destroy me, just sate its own hunger. And the other times…it sipped at the energy I was giving off, energy I didn't need, content to feed off of that."

"Hmm." Kurama's fingers still drummed on the table in thought. "Well, the miko and houshi were the gods' response to youkai. I don't think it's out of the question to say that miko energy could feed off of youkai energy, strange as that sounds. But back to the heart of the matter," he said, abruptly changing subject, "Is she a danger?"

"If I knew the answer to that, don't you think I would have told you days ago?"

"You said you were welcome in her mind."

"Yes, but only where this presence allowed me to go, and in the order it wanted." He said it like it frustrated him—which it did, at first—but he had enjoyed watching the girl grow up, through her eyes. Her kind was the stuff of nightmares for youkai children, once hated adversaries for the adults. But she was also worth his respect. "I've been watching her memories in order, beginning from the earliest in her childhood. Your basic human stuff," he dismissed to Kurama, before continuing with a smirk, "But it gets interesting when she turns fifteen." Kurama leaned in. "She was pulled down a well five hundred years into the past where she and a ragtag group of humans and youkai and a hanyou battled an evil hanyou for the possession of a jewel," Hiei deadpanned.

Kurama glared and crossed his arms, miffed. "So she suffered a mental break when she was fifteen, and again now, a decade later."

"No, it was completely real. The memories didn't have the trace of someone who imagined a story so real she believed it. It all happened. But that's as far as I got."

Kurama ran a hand through his hair. "Well, at least that answers why it's youkai she's imagining: five hundred years ago the barrier didn't exist."

"And five hundred years ago, miko were trained."

As if on cue, both youkai looked each other in the eye for the barest second before leaving the room to think elsewhere, away from each other. And there was plenty to ponder about the miko. Late that afternoon, Kurama entered the house and leaned in the doorway separating the kitchen from the living room.

"You know what I've noticed, Hiei?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I've asked around about our miko, poked about in her file. She's been there for almost a year now, and for that year, she's been violent towards herself and others, and delusional—though considering most of her delusions concern youkai, I take that part of the diagnosis with a grain of salt. More often than not, it was like she just wasn't always there. But since you've begun investigating her, there is a sense of calm about her that I hadn't seen before, like an awareness that she hadn't had before. Normal, if that makes any sense. Dr. Matsuya believes that her change in behavior is due to a change in medications. I'm more of the opinion that you were the change she needed."

Hiei snorted at that.

"Reality is often stranger than fiction, Hiei. Opposites attract. Perhaps miko and youkai have more to link them than battle lines."

"What's your point, fox?" Hiei asked, though he was sure he already knew the answer.

"I think you owe her a visit. In person."

* * *

It was a simple matter for Hiei to enter the hospital and bypass all of the security cameras and personnel. He could have taken care of the human half of the equation with the jagan, but he enjoyed the challenge of sneaking past under only his physical abilities. Not, he snorted, that it was much of a challenge in the dead of night when the facility was running on bare bones. In any case, he quickly found himself in front of her door. He allowed himself only a second to look at the name, followed by a series of color-coded stickers that likely indicated her mental status to all who passed by, before entering and closing the door behind him.

There she was on the bed, just as he had seen her through the window so many times before, sleeping with only hospital attire and a sheet, given the warmth of the season. Were she a normal human, and were he not a master of stealth, he would have assumed that it was the door closing that woke her, but it was with his first step away from the door that her eyes popped open, completely alert, and turned to him.

"It's you!" she cried in a whisper. "I know you. But…" Her brows furrowed in confusion. "I've never met you. How do I know you?"

It was only a matter of time before she began to panic and attracted someone's notice, so he quickly made to get to her side and explain. "We've never met, miko. You have become familiar with my youki since I have been…" There was no sense in telling her he'd been invading her mind for the past week; she may be friendly with youkai, but she was still his natural enemy. "I have been nearby for several days."

She looked at him strangely. "Youki…_youkai?" _She questioned before putting her face in her hands and groaning. "They call me insane, you know, and who's to say they're wrong? Even now, feeling a depth of clarity I was too far gone to notice was missing, an otherworldly apparition visits me. I wonder how far gone I have to be to be questioning my sanity like a sane person?"

He growled in annoyance. "I'm no ghost, miko." When she just shook her head, face still in her hands, he grabbed her wrist, but quickly pulled away when he got zapped. "Damn it!"

That seemed to have gotten her out of her stupor. Wide-eyed, she reached for his injured hand. "I'm so sorry!" There was a tingling feeling, then the sting of being zapped by her powers was gone. He flexed his hand before looking at her and saw that she was looking at where her hand touched his arm in amazement. "You _are _real. I thought the other ones were real too, but my hands would go right through…And you make me feel so"—she blushed—"_warm_." She looked up at him, hope, and tears, shining in her eyes. "I'm not crazy, am I?"

"No," he responded softly, "not right now."

A smile began to form on her lips and she removed her hand from his arm to return it to her lap. "My name is Higurashi Kagome," she said, executing an awkward sideways bow.

"Hiei."

"It's…it's nice to meet you, Hiei," she yawned out. "I'm sorry, I've been so tired lately. Will you come back tomorrow, Hiei? Please?" For the safety of youkai living in the area and for his own curiosity, he nodded. He was strangely pleased when she fell into a peaceful slumber.

He kept his promise. He returned the next night, and the next. She would talk for as long as her energy would keep up, telling him about her childhood—both in this time and the past—and he would pretend he didn't already know most of her stories, though she did talk about the times after the point in her memories that he was acquainted with. He found out what happened at the end of the battle. But never after that. And he allowed it. She had a certain strength that he respected—a strength that allowed a modern-day girl to deal with the hardship and responsibility of the past, to grow up faster than most humans were able to, a strength that made those around her want to become better, to accept everyone around her. She made him wonder if she was what miko were supposed to be—a way to even the odds, not kill and tame the land.

Sometimes, when she was quiet, and too tired to really talk, he would fill in the silence. There was not the horror present in her mind that he had noticed in other humans when they discovered his past. It was a sort of acceptance that she projected, not quite condoning his previous lifestyle, but understanding why it was necessary.

Sometimes, when he thought she had the energy to do so, they would go up onto the roof. It was during one of the first trips there, when she insisted she could walk just fine on her own, that he felt the first glimmer of worry.

The miko of the past that he was so well acquainted with—heck, even the insane, present version of her that Kurama had described to him—was so strong, physically and spiritually. And so, when she stopped after the first flight of stairs, leaning against the wall and panting in exhaustion, he felt he had reasonable cause to worry.

She waved it off. "We don't get much exercise here. I remember when I could walk most of a day without much of a break, fighting monsters besides! All this lying about in this place has just made me lose all my muscle tone. I really should start an exercise regimen." She had insisted on continuing, but had passed out in exhaustion by the time they reached the roof.

He addressed Kurama with the problem and was similarly dissatisfied with the answer. "I supposed it's possible. Patients who are not quite in their right mind often don't notice bodily needs. Perhaps her body was weakening, but her mind couldn't acknowledge it. Her body being forced to do what it couldn't may have further encouraged her deterioration."

Nevertheless, he ignored her when she insisted she could walk up those stairs on her own.

And so they settled into a schedule. Kagome seemed to be getting better—if not physically, then mentally—and Hiei…Well, he enjoyed being a part of it.

And then he had to leave.

* * *

When Kurama heard the muffled sound of raised voices around the corner, he wasn't expecting to be confronted with the one person he avoided in the entire building, under strict instructions of his boss—though those instructions didn't keep him from poking into her files when he was bored, or eavesdropping on conversations about her.

"_No, _I want nothing to do with him!" the miko was saying, turning resolutely away from whoever it was, but only ended up being caught in a gentle hold by Dr. Matsuya, the doctor in charge of her case. On her other side was a youngish man with sandy brown hair; apparently a doctor, if the white coat was anything to go by, but not one that Kurama'd seen before—perhaps a trainee under Matsuya's tutelage?

His face was cast with worry—he would need to grow out of that if he expected to work here long—and he held out his hands in a placating manner. "Please, Kagome, I'm your husband, I love you."

She turned around and glared at him scathingly. "You don't love me, Hojo, and I never loved you—"

"You can't mean that!"

Her laugh was dark. "You needed someone to heal, and I needed normalcy. We both know it was convenience that brought us together. Just like it was convenient for you to imprison me in this hell-hole!"

"Kagome, doctor," Matsuya began to speak in a soothing voice, trying to prevent the developing tension from reaching an explosive end as Kagome struggled in his grasp, but this Hojo was too invested.

"Kagome, you need help—"

"What I _need_ is a means to my end!" At Matsuya's signal, several of the nurses around the room began to cautiously make their way over to the three, a few with syringes hidden.

"I won't allow you to kill yourself!"

"Then you've doomed me and destroyed me far beyond anything that Inuyasha was ever capable of!" She accused between struggles. Finally able to wrench an arm free, she attempted to claw at Hojo's face, but was quickly restrained by one of the nurses, followed by two others, who held her tight as another came up from behind her with a syringe of sedative, leaving her lax.

Hojo reached out limply, as if attempting, in his own shocked way, to help, but Matsuya was quick to place himself between them. "I think it's time you leave, don't you, doctor?" he politely commanded. Defeated, Hojo sulked away as Kagome was carried the opposite direction back to her room.

Kurama exited the way he came, preparing himself for a long wait tonight. Hiei wasn't going to like this one bit.

* * *

Years ago, when being a lone assassin for hire, constantly hunting, constantly hunted, had lost some of its appeal and he began to feel the desire to have a home, a place to return to, Hiei entered into a contract of service with one of the reigning youkai lords of Makai, Mukuro. Years had gone by, and he was still under the contract, but Mukuro was understanding about his desire to wander, and so he was required only to be present in her fortress for a week or two every few of months, and be available to her should she suddenly have an assignment for him. It extended the contract, but left him with far more freedom than most of her underlings. He had informed Kagome of this and left. After all, a week apart would do no harm.

He considered returning to the house he shared with Kurama to rest for a few hours, but training new recruits had left him with a great deal of energy, so he decided to return to the hospital, only to be met with Kurama, blocking the door to Kagome's room.

"Hiei—"

"What's wrong with her?"

"Hiei, it's—I don't know. As soon as you left—" That's all he was able to get out before Hiei pushed past him and entered Kagome's room. She was on the bed, but straps held her down securely and she was awake but her mind fogged. Drugged.

He turned on Kurama. "How the hell did this happen in just a week?"

The redhead ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. She was fine the first couple of days, but then she started to act strangely. I tried to help her," he explained, "but then today—"

"Get out." Kurama knew better than to argue. He slipped away as Hiei approached the bed.

Within a couple feet of her, he began to feel a pull on his youki, but he didn't fight it. He was used to the sensation by now, and knew she wouldn't harm him. It had started in her mind and continued every time he visited her face to face, a siphoning off of the energy he expended, energy he wouldn't use anyways. This time was more than he was used to, but much less than it would take to kill him. For whatever reason, the miko needed his youki to survive. He knew the what, but not the why. But the why didn't matter now. She did. He held her hand and prepared to wait.

It took a while, this time, for Kagome to completely return from her muddled mind. Two weeks rather than the one when he had first begun investigating her, perhaps because he had vowed to himself to give her the courtesy of privacy of mind. Perhaps she was not as able to siphon off enough energy when he wasn't standing at the source. He had taken to holding her in her bed at night, partially because winter was coming and he thought she was too fragile for the roof and partially because he felt guilty for her deteriorated state and wanted to do everything he could to make sure she got everything she needed.

Kagome waded back to him through muddled thoughts and spent a couple of nights in pure happiness at his return before, one night, she finally told him what he'd been wanting to know from the beginning: what happened after the battle.

"I think I'd known for a while, you know, that he would choose her," she admitted, tears streaming out of her eyes. "He loved us both, but he could never get over her, but she was dead, and so when it came to choosing between me healing him and succumbing to his wounds, he chose her. I was prepared for that though. But not for all the others. Somehow, I thought they would survive. But then it was just me and the jewel, but then the jewel sent me back, and I just wanted to put it all out of my mind. I craved normalcy like an addict. I went back to school, I became a librarian, got my own apartment, put the shrine completely out of my mind. But I knew then that something was wrong. I kept seeing people, things…But then I became reacquainted with Hojo."

Her husband.

"Sometimes, I felt so bad. Hojo was so normal. He fit my ideal of normal, and so I pretended I loved him, all the while longing for someone else completely. I realized later on that we were both using each other. I should have guessed it earlier. When we were in school, he used to bring me things…He only started to want to date me when my grandfather said I was sick. Hojo needs someone to take care of. A damsel in distress. But my distress was too much for anyone. One of the last things I remember…there was a girl, she looked so much like Yura…and it looked like she was about to attack this child…I knew, even then, that Yura was dead, but…" She tucked back a lock of hair. "That—me, attacking some stranger picking up her own child, with all the other outbursts and delusions and harm to my own body…That was the last straw. And here I am."

She cried herself to sleep that night, and for a few nights after that. It was a weight disappearing from her, clearing the way for something new, if she was ever able to leave here, if she was ever able to get away from her old life.

He could only hold her, give her what comfort he could, because there was no advice he could give, nothing he could say to make her feel better, just help her move on, regain herself. She had matured in a world she thought she had no place in only to return to a world she had outgrown. He couldn't help her, but he could protect her from the world where she no longer had a place. And so he returned to her, night after night.

As he held her to him one night, snug and warm despite the winter chill, a thought came to him. "Kurama mentioned it's nearly Christmas."

"And?" she asked playfully.

"I'm given to believe it's of some importance to humans."

She turned to him, a smile on her lips. "Are you trying to ask if you should get me a gift?"

"Perhaps."

"Oh, Hiei," she said, now turning her body to face him. "Every day's a holiday when I get to spend it with you. My tall, dark and handsome knight who steals me away from a world of madness and saves me from myself, the one enemy I have no defense against."

There was a moment when Hiei was about to deny it, to say that he was no knight, but paused because it was…nice that someone, that _she_ would feel that way about him. And then the moment passed and the comfortable silence stretched between them as she fell asleep in his arms.

When the first light of dawn entered the room, Hiei carefully extracted himself from her bed. She didn't even stir, though whether that was due to his skill or her constant exhaustion he didn't know. He made some mental calculations then scrawled out a note, letting her know where he would be, that he would return soon.

It was time to renegotiate his contract with Mukuro.

* * *

After hours, Kurama sat in the miko's room, holding her hand and consciously bringing forth his youki. Surrounding her bed were several of the Makai breeds of flora—none of them carnivorous, of course, but capable of releasing their own youki once grown.

The realization of how greatly she had subconsciously become dependent on Hiei was scary. It was the end of the second day and already she was like this, restrained and bruised, sedated and still suffering from troubled sleep. She was no longer struggling in her sleep as she had been when he snuck in, but he was not entirely youkai any more; there was only so much youki he could give her.

He felt it, the moment Hiei entered the hospital and he barely had a minute to prepare for Hiei's anger before he burst through the door.

And no time at all to prepare for the portal that opened on the wall opposite the bed. Unlike the many other times they had travelled through it, it was not Botan that peeked through, but a solemn Koenma. He looked at both of them before motioning them to come forward. When both hesitated, he sighed and, removing his pacifier, blew a soft breath in Kagome's direction. She immediately settled. "She'll remain stable until you wake her, and you'll be back before dawn." He motioned again for them to follow him and, with some reluctance, they complied.

Kurama and Hiei stood in front of Koenma's desk as they had so many times before, but so much was different about this time, everything from the prince himself fetching them to the lack of light and noise outside the office—strange as, even at night, the ogres worked. Death doesn't just stop. No, Koenma, for just tonight, had cleared out his offices, had brought them here, to introduce them to one of the skeletons in Reikai's deep, dark closet.

Koenma sighed, leaning back in his chair. There was an air of resigned guilt about him as he collected his thoughts, carefully putting them together for his audience. When at last he spoke, it wasn't with the high-strung tone of a young prince commanding his small unit, but of a man who had come to terms with a wretched past. "The barrier separating Ningenkai from Makai was not made without sacrifices. The gods created humans and they created youkai, and when everything went wrong, to protect the humans in death, they created Reikai, and to protect them in life, they gifted certain humans with holy powers. Seijin."

"The miko and houshi, the stuff of our nightmares back then," Kurama commented.

"And the greatest game."

Koenma nodded solemnly, clasping his hands in front of his face, sending them a level gaze. "Yes, the miko and houshi. For a time, they were the perfect solution. But after a few generations, we noticed that their powers were becoming weaker and weaker with each generation. Sure, a strong one would pop up in every so often, but what could a single person do against the wild youkai lurking on the edges of civilization, or those who ruled kingdoms, looking to expand? Looking back on it, I've come to realize that none of us noticed that the youkai populations were dealing with the same problem, or that the humans were slowly becoming better at killing; the taijiya were only the first step: once they became unified under one flag, the humans on these islands became truly frightening. But at the time, the only option open in our minds was to fully separate the two species."

"So you sacrificed all of them to create the barrier?"

"No…Though perhaps it would have been better if we had. No, we addressed some of the most powerful practitioners left around the world, and they willingly lent their powers, and for most of them their lives, to our cause, and the barrier was a success. The sacrifice came afterwards, and slowly, and painfully." He stopped and furrowed his eyebrows, not sure how to go on. He opened his mouth as if to speak before stopping several times before he finally took a breath and continued. "Imagine, if you will, a the world as a body. The body takes in impurities which upset the balance within the body. To neutralize these impurities and restore balance there is the liver. But what would happen if the impurities were to be barred from entering?"

"There would be no need for the liver. It would become a vestigial organ," Kurama answered.

"Exactly," Koenma confirmed sadly.

"So you're saying that the miko and houshi were filters for negative energy—that they depended on youki in order to live?"

"Close, but not quite. It wasn't that fewer of them were being born in reaction to youkai populations doing the same, but rather fewer of them were being born with holy powers. Physically they were fine, and remained so for a while after the barrier was created, as there was still residual youki to filter. But those that were young when it happened…As they aged, they slowly lost their hold on reality; the power ate at their minds and emotions until there was little left of who they were. That great power bestowed by the gods…it had dwindled, yes, but it could not stop just as suddenly as the barrier had been erected. Several generations were born, knowing that it was a possibility that the madness could come to them. With these once respected protectors losing their sanity, it's little wonder the old beliefs quickly became jokes, little stories to scare or amuse children. And those rare seijin who were truly gifted…none lived past their prime, having wasted away or died by their own hands."

Hiei, quiet and glowering for most of the conversation, spoke up. "But then how come Kagome—"

Koenma waved his hand, silencing the interruption. "That power still exists, though barely noticeable, even for those of us who know. There is a department in Reikai that was formed with the purpose of watching the descendants of the gifted lineages. Kagome's grandfather is the priest at Higurashi Shrine. His eccentricities are not a sign of age, but a sign that he has a wisp of power, which was passed on to his granddaughter. Fate had it in for her: perhaps she would have gone the way of her grandfather, or perhaps she would have developed those powers in this time, and suffered a complete break with reality while still young. Instead she had the Shikon no Tama secured in her body, and for whatever reason, Mistress Centipede was able to sense something in her, something that lured her from the limbo of the well to drag Kagome to the Feudal Era, a time when youkai were free, and miko could be so very strong."

"And now?"

Koenma shrugged. "Perhaps that was all Fate had planned, or perhaps it was broken. Or perhaps it's not done with her yet," he finished, gaze directed pointedly at Hiei.

A lull sunk down on the conversation as the prince and youkai stared coolly at each other. Kurama took the moment to clear his throat, gaining their attention. "Koenma, you brought us here, revealed what I'm certain is classified information. To what ends? What does your _father_ want done about the matter? About us?"

Koenma sighed, clasping his hands on his desk. "You are quite right, Kurama, it is my father who is ultimately in charge of the miko. However, the both of us have been playing close attention to Kagome, and we both—albeit reluctantly on father's end of things—came to the same conclusion. You may continue on as you have been."

This was a surprise to the both of them, but both sensed it was conditional.

"But you do so with the knowledge that, should harm come to Kagome, directly through you damaging her, or indirectly through you losing interest without precautions, you will have the full force of the SDF out for your blood. At least," he said, smiling dryly at Hiei's stiff stance, "those are my father's stipulations. From all my years of knowing you, Hiei, and all these months of watching you with her, I know how unlikely an occurrence that would be."

Hiei just glared at the prince before turning and walking away. Knowing better than to impede him, Koenma opened the portal.

They ended up back in Kagome's room. Nothing had changed in the short time they'd been gone. She was still in quiet slumber, thanks to Koenma, and there was little noise elsewhere at this time of night to disturb the quiet, troubled thoughts of both youkai.

Kurama was the first to break the silence. "So it seems Reikai has given you its blessing."

Hiei snorted in derision. "Little good that does, Kurama," he muttered angrily. "'Go on as you have been', Koenma says. Her mind may be healing now, but that's little solace when her powers are now causing her body to waste away."

Kurama sighed. Hiei was right. Koenma had said that the holy powers inherent in miko had caused those remaining to go mad, but most died before anything could be done. Apparently, now partially sated on Hiei's youki, they sought out more, attacking the physical world, her body. It was only a matter of time before she succumbed.

It was a solemn look they shared next, both knowing what had to be done. "Perhaps you should leave," Hiei said pointedly. Two words passed between them. _Plausible deniability_. There was a time that Kurama would have protested, would have tried to help, be he knew there was a line he couldn't cross right now. Koenma may fight for their side, but his father would not be so understanding. And, though Kurama would deny it sometimes, he was far too attached to the human world to leave it for good. The occasional bit of work for Yomi was all well and good, but he knew it would be impossible for him to live there now. And besides, Hiei may be in need of another ally on this side of the barrier eventually.

"Is she worth it?" He asked quietly. He knew messing with a miko—and this particular miko—would make him an enemy of Enma.

Hiei took a minute to think, to glance over at the woman in the bed. "She's worth finding out," he finally replied.

It was such a noncommittal answer, but one he understood well. He nodded. "Take care."

And left.

* * *

Mukuro was calling him with greater frequency now, but also for shorter lengths of time, given that there wasn't the mess of dealing with the barrier. Still, he was at her fortress almost as much as he had been before the whole stealing from Reikai fiasco that had taken him down an entirely different path in life. They both knew why, though they rarely spoke of it: according to the contract he had signed so long ago, he was only required to serve Mukuro for a few more years, and she planned to use those years. Perhaps he would renew it, or perhaps not; at this point in time, he had far greater incentive to serve Yusuke than Mukuro.

There was only a light breeze on the ground, but up here, the wind was wild—it was only right, given the climb—though still warm, given the season. The sun was setting, and from this vantage point, he could easily see the last of the day's light hitting the broad expanses of land surrounding Yusuke's fortress.

But his eyes were on her.

Her hair, caught in the torrents of wind, flew every which way, and as she turned toward him, sensing him, she smiled radiantly, her whole demeanor giving him the impression that she was a wind spirit that would soon sprout wings and play amongst the clouds.

"Hiei!" she called, tucking a stray lock behind her ear, which proved to be an act of futility when the wind immediately snatched it away again. She let it be. It was more a habit, a nervous tic, than a desire to control her dark locks. "I walked all the way up here without any breaks and I'm barely even winded."

As he approached her, he looked her up and down, as if assessing the truthfulness of her statement. It was a joke between them , as they both knew Yusuke had assigned some of his most trusted men to watch after her, and her most recent progress, as always, was reported to him when he returned to Yusuke's—now their—home. And what progress she had made!

In Ningenkai, surrounded by her own kind, those she was born to protect from the likes of the youkai who threatened their wellbeing, she could only survive. But here, surrounded by those who should be her enemy, she thrived. It was strange. It made him wonder what the gods were thinking when they created a new race hundreds of years ago. It made him wonder what they were thinking when they created her, so out of place in the modern world.

They were silent as they looked out upon the land, content just to be there together.

They weren't in love. Or at least, he wasn't in love with her. He knew what it felt like to be in love, and he knew what it felt like to be heartbroken. His teammates—former teammates—really could use some practice in preventing projection around a telepath. And maybe he peeked. He knew it wasn't that blinding love, that at-first-sight obsession.

What they had was built on respect and wit and ambition.

"So," she said, bumping his hip with hers, "when are you gonna start training me?"

He slid a sidelong glance at her. "Tomorrow morning at first light. Which means"—without warning, he lifted her into both arms, causing the surprised miko to giggle—"it's your bedtime."

She pouted playfully as she wrapped one arm around his neck and reached out the other to open the door. "But I'm not even tired yet!"

"Don't worry." He smirked. "You will be." The door shut behind them as they made their way down the tower's stairs and to their bedroom.

No, they weren't in love. Neither of them was innocent enough to believe that the idealized love of fairy tales existed. They fit together. That's what their relationship was, not a mad love but the coming together of two wholes that could, together, also make a larger picture. It was a delight in the now that could be renewed again and again. A contentment that could stand the test of time.


	19. Planned Parenthood

**Planned Parenthood**

Summary: Leaving memories, and life after death.

There was a certain sense of freedom that Hiei felt nowadays, as he crossed the barrier—border, rather—between Ningenkai and Makai. It wasn't gained simply by the fact that it was legal to do so. It was gained, as Kurama put it, by the moment of whimsy in which a youkai wondered where they would end up depending on where they crossed the border. No longer were they restricted by fixed points, always ending up in the same places in Ningenkai—most often Yusuke's home town.

Even knowing he could cross the border anywhere, at any time, Hiei usually stepped out of his way to cross at the same few points, leading to his sister or his allies. But today, too restless to just sit and watch whatever antics the others were up to, he decided to indulge himself, picked a spot at random, and ran through.

It wasn't often that Hiei ventured into shrines—And by "shrine", he meant the proper "demon be gone" shrines that were filled with fanatic priests in the rural areas and less fanatic, but still suspicious priests that lay in the cities. Genkai's temple didn't count.

There was a time when he used to purposely tread on sacred ground with malice, just to test himself against the strength of the land and, if he was lucky, the shrine keepers there. But those were days long past; it was rare now to find a shrine keeper with any measurable amount of power, and he was not in the habit of testing himself against the weak, not unless they picked the fight.

And yet, as he crossed the border, finding himself in a forest, he felt it, that power of long ago, as if the land around him breathed it in and out, sharing in a cycle with the miko of legends. The forest pulsed with the life that burst forth from it, and he followed the pulses to their source, through the forest and across the shrine grounds, to a young woman leaning against a tree, looking through a window of a house on the edge of the complex.

His feelings were mixed when, upon further inspection, he saw that she was indeed a miko, and she was definitely dead.

Even though the shade of the tree obscured the lack of shadow, the wind did not affect her hair or clothing, and she lacked the pulse of life's blood that he could sense even without the Jagan. For all that she and the land around her exchanged life between them in an endless cycle, she had no body to contain it.

Curious and straightforward, he walked up to her. She noticed him, but ignored him, a common response of ghosts who were used to being ignored. So her surprise was of no surprise to him when he addressed her.

"Haven't the ferry girls come to fetch you yet?"

She looked him over, confused, but finally replied, "Ferry girls? Oh, the ones on the oars you must mean. They came, but, well…I guess they're just not quite sure what to do with me just yet."

When Hiei raised a questioning brow, she motioned her head to the pair in the living room, beckoning him to look closer.

"That's my husband, and my son and daughter."

"Hanyou."

"Yes." She smiled softly. "They found out I was a miko mated to a hanyou and there's nothing in the rule book on where to put me. And in the trouble of thinking of a solution, they just forgot about me. Not that I mind," she said, looking into the window again.

Without much desire to continue the conversation, but curious about the stranded miko, he peered in at the scene again, studying it closer. This time, he noticed that the three in the room, the hanyou hugging his children tight, were staring at the television screen. Looking out at them, speaking to them, was the miko. She was older, yes, and had a scarf tucked around her head, but it was her.

He turned to her, the unspoken question obvious.

"I knew I was going to die. Inuyasha didn't want to believe there was something this era couldn't cure, but I knew. I remembered my father dying when I was so young…and I didn't want my children to forget me." She smiled wryly. "I suppose you could say I got a bit obsessed. There are boxes of videos, of advice, of things I liked, of me just talking to them. And there are letters, and birthday cards, and tapes so they could hear me read to them. Inuyasha decides when they're ready. And there are some things for him as well, because I don't want him to forget me either, but I don't want him to mourn me for the rest of his life."

He was glad this appeared to be an old wound for her, something that was still painful but didn't cause tears to fall.

"How did you die?"

"Painfully," was her quick reply. "Cancer," she said second. "It's strange…For so long, all I wanted was to be free from pain, to be healthy again, but now that I'm years younger, I long for the body that caused me pain, because that is who I will always be for them. I was always more of a wife and mother in that body that I ever dreamed of being in this one."

Hiei nodded. "The soul returns to the state it had been in when it began to die. For many, it's sudden and they remain the same. For others…"

"I suspected something like that," she responded with a sigh.

They were quiet for a while longer, until the video had stopped.

"Is this what you do all day then? Watch them? If so, you should take your own advice."

"It's not all my eternity is made of, but I'd rather be alone with my family than alone anywhere else." At Hiei's quirked eyebrow, she continued. "All the ghosts I've met are soon gone—taken by the Ferry girls, I assume, and few humans or youkai have enough spiritual awareness to even sense me. Why," she asked jokingly, "Are you offering to be my afterlife tour guide?"

"Perhaps." And he realized that was the truth.

"Well, perhaps I should know the name of my guide before I go gallivanting off with him."

"Hn. Hiei."

She smiled, apparently used to youkai with gruff exteriors. "Hello, Hiei, my name is Higurashi Kagome."

* * *

Years later, Hiei crossed the border into the forest just beyond the shrine grounds. Her children had grown and moved away, and her husband had eventually moved on—and Hiei loved the irony of two hanyou and their offspring caring for a shrine—but Kagome remained. On occasion, she would visit her children, look in on their lives, but she always returned to the shrine.

The beginning is the end is the beginning.

In that first meeting, he had held his hand out to her and, on impulse, pulled her into the Makai. Since then, she had called their time together "adventures", be it hunting criminals in the Makai or exploring a nearby city. It was…nice, having her by his side; she breathed new life into the same dull places he'd visited and lived in time and again. He genuinely liked her, a like that went beyond respect, but it would never go further than that. She was well and truly dead; it would never work out.

In the solitude of his mind, he called her friend.

Aloud, she did the same.

She was in her usual spot by the Goshinboku when he arrived. She looked on fondly at Inuyasha's children playing in the shade of the tree; he knew she loved them as if they were her own. When she saw him, her face lit up with a brilliant smile and she ran to meet him.

"Where is our adventure taking place today, Hiei?"

He flicked a mischievous look her way, grabbing her hand, and they were gone.

* * *

AN: This was inspired by a piece I saw on World News with Brian Williams a few years ago, a follow-up of this video a few years later: http:/ www. msnbc. msn. com/id/8618766/ ns/health-cancer/t /dying-mom-shares-lifes-lessons/#. TxPdoflAIxQ . In sum, a woman who was dying of cancer left behind videos/cards/letters for her child and husband, to leave something of herself after she was gone. Looking around for the link, I know she's not the only one. I just thought it was so touching, and wanted to share that, and the spirit of it.


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